Elemental Darkness
by Airchi
Summary: Pouring all his power into his final attempt to save the world, Spyro did not realize just how big of an impact this will have when he also uses his dark energy. Now ancient evils are reawakened to wreak havoc upon the Dragon Realms.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**Hi all, this is my first ever story I posted on this site, so please have patience while I improve.**

**Constructive criticism is allowed but please no flames.**

**On to the first chapter!**

**xXx**

This world is not devoid of darkness, this was proven all too well by the Dark Master, Malefor along with his vast army of corrupted creatures.

Even the purest of hearts have some form darkness residing within them, some hide it better than others.

During his fight with Gaul the darkness hidden within Spyro was brought forth. Embracing this newfound power Spyro was able to dispatch of Gaul with little effort by releasing a Convexity Fury of immense power, reducing the once powerful adversary to ash.

Drunk with his own power, he never realized that he released his power in all directions, not just at Gaul.

Although mostly unfelt by her, Cynder recognized this foul energy, but failed to notice that some of this dark power seeped into her own being as she was still numb from the adrenaline caused by the pain.

Cynder and Sparx both cautiously went towards the hole to find out what happened to Spyro.

"What's happening down there?" Cynder asked herself as she reached the edge.

"Spyro?" Sparx asked in worry while searching for his beloved foster brother "You ok buddy?"

Suddenly Spyro flew up from the hole, his scales having turned even darker that Cynder's own obsidian coloured scales as it seems that shadows were dripping from his form. His eyes were glowing a bright white colour, lacking their usual kind lavender colour.

Sparx gave an undignified yell of terror upon seeing Spyro like this and quickly made for the nearest hiding spot.

"Spyro stop!" was all Cynder could muster in her current state of disbelief.

Focusing as hard as he could Spyro was able to briefly overcome the Darkness controlling him, but it quickly started overtaking him once again.

Upon seeing her chance Cynder launched herself at the Corrupted Purple Dragon in an attempt to prevent the darkness from overtaking him once again.

They both crashed harshly into the ground and tumbled on for several meters.

"Spyro?" Sparx called out to his foster brother in concern for his wellbeing.

Quickly snapping to reality Spyro leapt up as realization dawned upon him. He had taken a life.

As if only by an after taught he also noticed the danger they were in. "Just go without me"

"We are not leaving without you!" Cynder snapped at him.

"You should listen to the Black Terror, we will never leave you behind Spyro!"

A look of understanding and happiness crept upon Spyros face as he knew that they would never leave him behind, just like he will never leave them behind.

"Our only exit just caved in! We're trapped!" Sparx screeched in horror.

'_This is my fault, I can't let them die for my mistake'. _Panicking Spyro tried to think of what he could do to help them survive. He knew that blasting the exit clear was not an option since it would hasten the collapse and shielding them with earth pillars would do them no good since they would probably not hold the weight of what is to come.

Then it hit him. "Get close to me!"

Not losing a second both Cynder and Sparx quickly stood beside Spyro, unsure of what his plan was.

Forcing all of his control of Time to escape his body and surround them he encased all three of them in a Golden Time-Crystal, saving them from death freezing them in time for three years.

xXx

-**Time Skip to the fight with Malefor**-

"**NOOOOOOOOO!**"

Malefor was furious, after being defeated by two hatchlings he bellowed out his frustrations as five Dragon Spirits dragged him to the depths of the earth where he will be imprisoned for all eternity.

'_We're too late'_ Spyro thought to himself as the world was crumbling around him.

He knew what he had to do "Cynder I want you to leave here"

"Are you nuts? We are in this together until the end" Cynder told Spyro as he was preparing to embrace his destiny.

He smiled warmly at her "Thank you Cynder"

Spyro started gather all of his energy to right what Malefor has wronged. He did not know how much power was needed to pull this off, so disregarding his own limits he used it all, even if it would cost him his life.

He was floating, pure powering emanating from his entire body in an effort to pull the crumbling world back together. Cynder uttered a near inaudible whisper.

_I love you_

_xXx_

"Is it over?" Echoed the voice of Sparx from within the cave, voicing what was on the mind of every dragon, mole and cheetah present.

"It would appear so" Terrador then turned around to address the small crowd "The tremors have stopped, I shall go outside to evaluate the extent of the damage the land has suffered"

Walking as though he expects a Grublin to ambush him at any given time Terrador slowly made his way towards the surface. When he finally reached it he froze in shock.

He was expecting the Armageddon, a barren wasteland, cracks in the earth as far as the eye could see. Instead he saw lush green fields of grass stretching as far as he could see. He turned to face Warfang and found that it too looked somewhat in the same state. What shocked him the most however was the distinct lack of bodies the war caused. The only evidence of combat was the damage done to Warfang.

As he turned around he was met with the equally shocked expressions of Volteer, Cyril and surprisingly Sparx.

The silence was finally broken by Volteer "This is unbelievable, unfathomable, incomprehensible, un-"

"Yes Volteer, we know" Cyril cut him short "They did it, the world is whole"

"How is this possible?" asked Sparx while trying to get his mind around what he is seeing "The world was crumbling apart! We all saw it!"

Emanating a sigh of relief Terrador decided to answer "They did it. Malefor has fallen and somehow the world has been pulled together"

Sparx let his jaw drop upon hearing this. He quickly composed himself and screamed to the heavens "The war is over!"

The crowed behind him joined him in his cheers, but he couldn't shake one horrible thought from his mind '_Where is Spyro?'_

_xXx_

Cynder was slowly opening her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that her entire body was completely sore '_atleast that means I am still alive_'. As she became aware of her surroundings she felt a pleasant warmth beneath her. Looking down she saw she was laying on Spyro. A relentless blush soon followed as she reluctantly stood up from this position.

A spike of worry shortly followed when she remembered the incredible amount of energy he used to bring the world back together. However her worries were soon washed away when she saw his chest slowly rising and falling.

'_He really did it, he saved us all_' She was so happy that they were both alive that she fell into a fit of relieving laughter.

After she calmed down she picked Spyro up and got a good look of the area around them. They were in a lush green field with many trees dotting the landscape, she also saw a river nearby. She knew they were in the Valley of Avalar.

She carried him over to near the river and put him under a tree. '_He deserves some rest_'

Out of nowhere a stray thought struck her like a freight train '_Did he hear me?_'

She was walking away from under the tree to fly when she noticed the distinct lack of a certain green chain binding them together.

Deciding to use the advantage of no chain binding them, she spread her wings and took off to search for any threats to her and Spyro in the area.

Several minutes later Spyro stirred from his sleep. He had no idea where he was, for a while he tought he might be in heaven but dismissed that the moment he tried to stand.

'_Great, I am completely drained after using so much of my power_' he thought to himself. As he slowly recalled the events of his latest fight he was hit by a pang of worry.

Cynder was not with him.

He fought against the fatigue to stand up, but again found that he didn't have the strength to do so. He wearily looked around him and to his relief saw the object of his worries soaring above him.

After finding no visible threats Cynder decided to fish for some food. She approached the river and took a long drink. After a satisfied 'Ahhhh' she walked a bit more upstream looking for any fish to catch for her and Spyro.

She finally spotted a few of them coming past her near the bank of the river. Smiling at her own luck she lashed out with her claws sending a fish flying through the air and having it land a few feet away from her. She lashed out with her tail and impaled another fish with pinpoint accuracy. She quickly ate her share of the catch.

Satisfied with the two snacks she flew back to Spyro.

When she got close enough to where she had left him she saw him squirming around. She was filled with so much joy she darted straight at him, not caring that she dropped her prey in the process.

The only warning Spyro had of his impending fate was a whoosh of wind before he felt something collide with him "You're awake!" shouted the strange entity. To his joy he recognised the owner of the voice as Cynder.

He was very happy to find Cynder again, but felt very nervous when he was unable to draw air into his lungs.

"C-Cynder...can't...br-breath..." he rasped out with the little air remaining in his lungs.

She glanced down and could swear she saw his normally purple scales turning blue "S-Sorry..." she stammered and backed away, breaking the embrace while blushing slightly due to their recent contact. Spyro did not notice this as her midnight black scales hid it well.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him while checking him over, surprisingly enough finding no physical evidence of his recent fight with Malefor.

"I feel like I just got out of a debate with Cyril about dragon nobility" He grunted while attempting to get to his feet again and promptly falling down.

"Wow you must be tired then" Cynder said with a hint of amusement.

They both chuckled at the small joke. They fell into a comfortable silence moments later, enjoying each other's company.

Spyro decided to break the silence "It's finally over isn't it?"

Cynder nodded and simply said "Yes"

"Good, we can finally enjoy some peace, do you have any idea where we are?" asked Spyro as he fell down once more from trying to stand.

Cynder chuckled slightly at his attempts to stand up while replying "Yes, we are somewhere in the Valley of Avalar, though I am not certain where exactly"

After falling down one last time Spyro decided to give up and simply lie down '_This is humiliating_'. He glanced up at Cynder and saw her chuckle has now escalated into full blown laughter, earning her a glare from Spyro "Glad one of us is enjoying this"

She quickly put her paw over her mouth to suppress the laughter "Hmhmhm I'm sorry but you look like a hatchling trying to take his first steps! Hahaha!"

Spyro face faulted at this "Cynder...The moment I am able to stand you are SO going to get it!"

"I'd like to see you try purple boy!" she shot back with a smirk "You can't even hunt for your own food in that condition"

Upon the mention of food his stomach rumbled loudly causing a tinge of red to appear on his purple scales, feeding the flames of Cynder's laughter even further.

"Keep laughing, at least you were able to eat while I was unconscious" Spyro grumbled while looking at the grass in front of him.

"Well I think it's a good thing we are so close to a river full of fish then. If you can stand up then I will go catch you one, deal?" she said in mocking tone.

She scampered towards the river to catch a fish when Spyro started to get up once again. This time he got very close to standing upright but fell down again much to his dismay.

With all his strength he stood up again, this time he was certain he would make it. But Cynder had other ideas. Just as he was about to be up on all fours a fish hit him on his muzzle causing him to yelp in surprise and comically fall down.

"Sadist" he said indignantly while devouring his meal.

"I know" she said with an amused grin "I'll go find a cave or something to spend the night in, we can look for Warfang tomorrow."

"hmmh ghm-" he was promptly smacked playfully on the head by Cynder.

"Swallow then talk purple boy"

He gulped his food down and tried again "Hehe, sorry. I said I'll be waiting here"

She gave him a mischievous grin "Much better"

"Yes mom" he mumbled under his breath.

He froze when he saw her slowly turning around "What was that?"

He suddenly became very interested with a blade of grass in front of him "N-N-Nothing!"

xXx

-Warfang-

In a large room all the guardians could be seen gathering along with two cheetahs and a glowing ball of yellow light. The room was decorated marvellously, four banners representing each of the four elements hung from the walls with a golden trim. They were currently discussing what course of action they should take to regarding their saviours.

"It is of great urgency, no of utmost urgency to swiftly and successfully find the abse-"

"Thank you Volteer!" Cyril snapped at the Electricity Guardian "Though he does make a good point, finding Spyro, Ignitus and Cynder quickly would be wise seeing as the stragglers of war might want revenge on the three that caused the death of their leader"

"Indeed, we owe them an immeasurable debt" said the chief of the cheetahs while glancing at the dragons present in the room "Though I am not comfortable asking for help from dragons, this will require a larger search force this time than just Hunter, how many dragons will be able to lend aid Terrador?"

The Earth Guardian seemed deep in thought for a few seconds before speaking up "Most of those who survived the assault are badly injured, I am afraid we might only have enough able bodied dragons for one or two small search parties"

"Whoa whoa big guy, you're telling me that even with those magical healing gems that you only have minimal forces at the ready?" Sparx asked with a scowl.

Terrador glanced at the hovering ball of light "I am afraid that those 'magical gems' only stimulate recovery, they lack the power to fully heal a dragon instantly"

"Great, just great" Sparx muttered while his face became close friends with his palm "What about you house cats? Don't you have anybody that can look for him?"

Hunter spoke before his chief had a chance to thoroughly scrutinize the dragonfly "We do Sparx, but like the dragons most of them are injured beyond duty"

Sparx seemed to think for a few seconds "What about the moles? They barely did any fighting, can't we send them?"

Again Hunter replied "They may have the numbers Sparx but what would they do if they encountered any Grublings?"

That seemed to have silenced the dragonfly, he was out of ideas. As were the Guardians since Sparx managed to voice almost every option available to them. Then a thought came to Volteer.

He cracked a smile "I seemed to have stumbled upon an unorthodox, possible solution to this very problematic situation"

Cyril seemed taken aback when he could have sworn he saw a hint of pride hidden within that smile "And what would that be?"

Volteer's mouth then began moving in a blur as he spoke "Youallknowearthdragonscanfee lslighttremorsbyinstinctandI knowelectridragonscan-"

"Slow down!" both Sparx and Cyril snapped in perfect unison.

Volteer took a deep breath and calmed himself down "Yes quite. As I was saying. We all know the inherit abilities of the different types of dragons, like earth dragons being able to feel tremors in the earth when somebody steps on the ground within their detection range. Electric dragons also have a similar ability regarding the various, uncountable, varie-"

This time Terrador decided to cut him off "I think I see what you are getting at Volteer. The inherit ability of Electric dragons is to sense the energy within their detection range, am I correct so far?" Volteer nodded so quickly Sparx thought his neck would snap if he didn't stop soon "and you want to use that ability to find Spyro since his energy could have been felt all around the world by said dragons, correct?"

The mouth of the Electricity Guardian started moving at an incredible pace once again "Preciselyexactlyindu-"

"That won't work" Cyril cut in "Since Spyro used that energy to mend the very earth we stand on you would most likely be sensing Spyro at every tree if you were to search for the energy he used"

Volteer sighed in defeat while Terrador decided to speak up once more "So our only option would be to send a few search parties. All in favour?"

Everyone slowly raised their paw.

They all made their decision, the search parties would be sent out in the morning.

Terrador nodded in approval "Good, then our last order of business would be to contact the dragon settlements that have gone into hiding and convince them to come to Warfang. Seeing as the academy is still standing we should start teaching the next generation while we are on the end of war"

"Might I suggest heading to the eastern settlement then? Last I heard they had a vast populous of young dragons and they might be able to lend aid in the search for our missing saviours" Suggested Cyril.

Terrador seemed to consider this "Yes that would be wise, convincing the closed off community that the war has ended might be a challenge though, especially if Axen is still in charge"

Nods of approval were given by all as the meeting ended.

xXx

The next morning Spyro woke up feeling noticeably better than the previous day, he found that he was able to move around without much trouble, though he did not feel 100% quite yet. He then glanced over to the other temporary inhabitant of the cave. He saw Cynder sleeping peacefully without a worry in the world. Spyro knew he had to change that and get his revenge.

With a mischievous smile he swiftly went outside towards the river. Once there he found a leaf large enough to contain a fair amount of water. Wasting no time he filled the leaf to the brim with the cold water.

Knowing once he did this he would have hell to pay, he caught a fish to sooth the soon-to-be foul mooded dragoness. He made his way back to the cave, ready to give Cynder her just deserts. '_He who laughs last Cynder..._'

He was about to give her the surprise wakeup call but to his confusion could not find the black dragoness anywhere in the cave.

"Good morning Spyro!" called Cynder from behind him, causing him to nearly leap out of his scales in surprise.

"Mornin' Cynder, sleep well?" asked Spyro while handing her the fish he caught for her.

"Breakfast in bed? Aren't you a thoughtful one. At least you can move now without my help" she said snickering.

Spyro merely sighed in defeat "Well eat up so we can get to Warfang, I don't want to spend any more time away from there as necessary, I bet the Guardians are worried sick" but as those words left his mouth he suddenly felt extremely sad. Ignitus came to his mind at that moment.

"Is something wrong Spyro?" Asked Cynder in concern, abandoning all mischievous ambitions.

For a while he did not answer, he refused to meet her gaze.

Deciding to try again, Cynder spoke but in a much more caring tone "I want to help Spyro, you don't have to suffer alone, please tell me what's bothering you"

Spyro still averted her gaze and with a pained expression as he spoke "It's Ignitus, how will the other Guardians react when they find out that I caused his death and didn't even go back to help him?" he paused for a moment, forcing back the building tears "he was like a father to me and I just left him to burn when I could have helped him"

Cynder suddenly understood and gave him a comforting hug, draping her wings and forearms around him "He gave his life to protect you and to ensure that that you were able to stop the Dark Master. You succeeded in stopping Malefor before he could kill everyone important to either of you, he would be very proud of you. Don't blame yourself for his death, it was his own choice"

Spyro let his head rest on her neck "Thank you"

Out of nowhere the same thought that plagued her yesterday sprang to her mind '_Did he hear me?_' Deciding that now would not be the right time she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

"We should probably leave now to look for Warfang" she said as she hesitantly broke the embrace.

Spyro just as reluctantly let the embrace break. He suddenly felt a strong urge to embrace her yet again, but he was unable to gander why. Putting it off as nothing he agreed with her "Yes we should" he thought for a bit while "The cheetah village couldn't be far from here, since we are obviously not in the Tall Plains or in the Swamp we should reach the cheetah village in a few hours of flying if we follow the river upstream"

"Okay, we fly to the cheetah village today then we can see if we can use the secret passage to get to Warfang" she walked over to him and gave him a quick lick on the cheek "Race you there!" she suddenly shot off, leaving a very stunned Spyro behind.

Spyro stood frozen by shock only for a moment longer "You aren't getting away from me!" He then shot off after her, spending the rest of the trip trying to catch her but never coming close to the elusive dragoness.

xXx

Somewhere on an uninhabited island, so far out of the way that even the armies of the Dark Master could not reach it, the silhouettes of several dragons were stirring in the darkness of a poorly illuminated room.

They slowly rose and some of their features became more recognizable. Two of them were giant dragons, easily up to the same size as the current Earth Guardian, Terrador. The first had two horns sticking straight back from its head, the figure had a long tail which curled up dangerously at the end, forming a scythe like tip.

The second big dragon had similar horns to the first, but this one's horns were slightly curved at the end. Its tail was shorter than the first, but at its tip there were multiple spikes protruding from a ball like formation giving it a very similar appearance to a mace.

The third dragon was slightly shorter than the first two, but not by much. This one had no horns, but its tail seemed to make up for it. On the very tip of its tail was a bright yellow formation looking almost exactly like a lightning bolt, it was emitting a faint yellow glow as well as the occasional stray spark of electricity escaping from its tip.

The final dragon was much shorter than the other three, about as big as Cynder and Spyro is now. It had three horns, one on the forehead going straight back like it's other two horns, which also looked like the first two dragons' horns. The tip of the forth's tail could be easily interpreted as an empty tip, but upon closer inspection it becomes very clear that the tip is in fact sharp enough to easily puncture through any enemy on the receiving end of the terrifyingly sharp tip.

The second figure spoke up, breaking the silence in a deep voice "The spell is broken. We are free to claim our rightful positions"

The first figure spoke next in a voice demanding respect from all "Don't get ahead of yourself, we are still trapped within this chamber, no doubt riddled with various traps to keep us sealed in. We will surely perish by them in our weakened states. We need to hope that the Elementals were somehow awakened along with us"

The third figure spoke up in a bored voice "That's unlikely, to have done that the fool would have to travel great lengths. Their slumber shall not be as easily broken as ours" as he said this his tail unleashed a small shower of sparks.

Finally the forth figure spoke in a feminine voice "Don't be so sure, the elementals are unpredictable creatures, I wouldn't put it past them to already be gathering in force"

Again the first one spoke up in the same tone as before "We can only hope that you are right, they are our only hope of escaping this forsaken prison. The guardians will pay for what they have done to us"

xXx

-Dante's Freezer-

Below the frozen surface, encased in a cube of dimly glowing ice, the very essence of cold seems to be leaking forth from the newly made cracks in the icy formation.

The last of the chilling essence seemed to have left the cube just as the glow died down, shattering the cube along with its imprisoning magic.

The strange essence then seemed to enter the very ice it was buried within. Mere moments passed before a single hand shot out of the tundra followed closely by a strange figure.

The figure was bipedal, but it was made entirely out of ice, its joints seemingly kept in place by nothing but the cold. Its arms were made out of a multitude of frozen spheres, and like the rest of its body, was transparent. Its hands contained three icy spikes, each ending on a lethally sharp tip.

The legs were similar to the arms, but only had a half sphere with no protrusions for feet. The most striking feature of this creature was most likely its chest area. It was made of a single slab of ice, curving where needed to give it a large form, no indications of muscles are given but it is obvious that this creature was by no means weak. In the very middle of the strange creatures chest there was a glowing energy, glowing a blue colour so light that it could easily be mistaken for white.

Lastly was the head. It was in a clear oval shape like the rest of its body. For eyes this strange creature had two hollow sockets glowing the same eerie colour as the light within its chest. Its mouth contained jagged icicles for teeth, looking sharp enough to easily pierce even the hide of an earth dragon. Lastly it had five icicles floating near the top of its head.

Out of nowhere the creature gave a piercing shriek before the icicles on its head started to shine brightly. The four icicles on the side all made a small beam of light travel to the tip of each other, the two icicles on the side seemed to make an even brighter light go to the middle one. It then shot a single bright beam of light into the ice in front of it.

Almost immediately a second, smaller icy creature came forth, looking almost exactly like the first, but it only had three icicles on its head.

The Ice Elementals have been awoken.

xXx

**A/N**

**And that's that for the first chapter! :)**

**Yes, I did put in the Well of Souls for a reason, you will find out why soon enough.**

**Please leave a review so I know where I went wrong and how to improve. Any suggestions are welcomed as well as some dragons for minor OCs.**

**Please, no flames. Flames were used to kill Ignitus.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**Yay! Chapter 2 is finally done!**

**I would like to thank Darman700 for his continued support. If it weren't for him I never would have gotten the courage to actually post this story :D**

**Apparently I forgot to do this last chapter: I do not own The Legend of Spyro, any companies affiliated with it, it's characters or the plot.**

**Enough of my rambling, on to the chapter!**

-Warfang-

"You're joking right?" said a dragonfly with a golden glow "This is all the great dragon city and mighty cheetah warriors have to offer?"

It was early in the afternoon, Sparx the dragonfly was busy venting his anger when he found out that the search parties meant to find his brother consisted of six dragons and four cheetahs. In all there were three groups present, one of which is to travel to the known dragon settlement to the east. The first group consisted of two fire dragons, the second group had two cheetahs, one ice dragon and one electric dragon. The third group consisted of Hunter, one other cheetah and two earth dragons.

"This is all we can spare Sparx, if I remember correctly while _we _were fighting the Dark Master's army _you_ were hiding Ancestors-know-where to avoid harm" Scolded the Guardian of Earth.

"Well sorry for not being able to fling two ton boulders at my enemies!" Sparx retorted.

Completely ignoring Sparx, Terrador turned around to address the three groups "You all know your destinations. Hunter your group is to search the Silver River, whilst the dragons search from the skies one cheetah will follow the river on either side. Blitz you are to search to the north until yeah reach the coast, but stay cautious. Megan you are to take the news to the eastern settlement that the war is over. They are hidden within an opening in the mountain; there will be numerous tunnels once you are inside, the correct one will be the one on your left. They have many earth dragons so just keep moving in that cave and they will find you eventually"

Cyril then spoke to Megan "Once you arrive at the eastern settlement send word that you are safe and a status report of the settlement using one of the falcons"

"Yes sir" said Megan while saluting the Ice Guardian "What are we to do should we encounter Master Ignitus' group?"

"Then you are both to return here with all three of them, I don't want them wandering the lands alone while they are most likely weakened from their fight with the Dark Master" stated Terrador in a firm voice.

Megan saluted once again "Yes sir!"

"Very well, may the Ancestors be with you all! Find them with haste!" shouted Terrador. With that all three groups took off "Now on to the next order of business"

Volteer sighed while looking in the direction of the destroyed wall "I suppose it is inevitable that we see to the repairs of the only means of salvation for the city"

"Indeed, with the walls of Warfang in a state such as that we are quite vulnerable to another attack from the Dark Army" said Cyril with concern evident in his voice "We also just sent out more than half of our remaining fighting force, I fear that we might not survive should the Dark Army decide to attack before Spyro and Ignitus returns"

"Maybe we are just overreacting, I for one have heard no news of any enemies being sighted, it may be possible that they fled with their leader being defeated" suggested Terrador.

"It certainly would be marvellous to be rid of those insolent barbaric creatures, but we should keep our wits about us seeing as we have no proof to support either case" said Volteer after some thought.

"Whether the army is gone or not does not change the fact that repairing the wall and damaged buildings should be done as soon as possible to accommodate more dragons" stated Terrador.

"On to the final matter" Cyril said after some silence "We need to teach the newest generation of dragons, do you know of any dragons able to fill the positions?"

"I am afraid that the only ones capable of filling said positions are the Guardians" said Terrador "Cyril has sufficient knowledge of dragon culture and history while Ignitus would make for an excellent teacher of the elements should he accept. However we will need to find a flight and melee combat trainer"

"I believe we shall find teachers specializing in numerous professions within one of the settlements, maybe even the eastern one if fortune is with us" suggested Volteer.

"Very well, let's get the moles to work on the damaged structures in the mean time" said Terrador as the meeting drew to a close.

xXx

Somewhere over the Valley of Avalar two young dragons are chasing each other through the air. After Spyro saved the world he was somewhat surprised to not find even a single crack in the once decimated terrain. There were lush green fields covering the land as far as he could see, the river flowed on peacefully. He was very happy to not find a single creature trying to kill him anywhere, now he could finally enjoy the peace.

"Ha! You'll have to be quicker than that Spyro!" Shouted a dark scaled dragoness as she allowed her purple pursuer to get within inches of catching her.

"This is so unfair Cynder!" complained the purple dragon "Yesterday I was barely able to stand! How do you expect me to catch you?" They then lowered themselves until they were flying a few feet above the river.

"I'm sorry, am I too fast for the _mighty_ purple dragon?" teased Cynder as she narrowly avoided Spyro yet again, nearly causing him to tumble into the water below.

'_This is impossible, I need a plan_' Spyro thought while searching for a way to catch the elusive dragoness. Finally he got an idea '_This is going to hurt..._'

Steadily Spyro flew higher and higher until he was sure Cynder could not see him anymore.

He smiled to himself when he noticed that she was starting to move slower to look for him. He took the chance he had. He pressed his wings close to his body, making a nose dive straight to the oblivious dragoness.

Just as he was about to dive into her she met his gaze and with a shriek flew to the side '_No! No! No! No! No! No! N-_' his thoughts were cut short as he broke the surface of the water with a gigantic splash.

Shortly afterwards he resurfaced, gasping for air. He made his way to the edge of the water where he saw a laughing Cynder "You enjoy it when I suffer don't you?"

"O-Only..when it's...self inflicted!" she managed to say in between laughs.

"Oh ha-ha" Spyro said in mock amusement "At least one good thing came from this"

Cynder was starting to calm down "And what's that?" she asked curiously.

Spyro gave her a grin "I got you!" he suddenly jumped on her, pinning her beneath him.

She shrieked in surprise when she hit the grass and glared at him "That's not fair!"

"Neither is using your Wind Element when you fly" Spyro said sarcastically.

"Oh so you noticed, heh-heh" Cynder said with an embarrassed grin.

"So you DID use it!" He scolded her.

"Umm, no need to focus too much on the details" she said with a embarrassed grin. Finally gathering up the courage she prepared to ask the question that has been plaguing her thoughts for the last two days "S-Spyro?"

He stared down at her "Yes?"

A slight blush adorned her black scales as she was about to ask him a very important question "D-Do you remember when you pulled the world back together after Malefor destroyed it?" he nodded, unsure where she was going with this "I know it was very loud with everything going on, b-but did you hear anything other than the crumbling rocks?"

He thought for a moment "No, like you said it was extremely loud, all I was able to hear was the rocks shifting" he arched an eyebrow before continuing "Why? Did you hear something that I missed?"

'_He didn't hear me! It took everything I had to say that to him and he didn't hear me!_' Cynder yelled mentally.

"Cynder?" he asked after she didn't reply.

'_I can't ask him again! There is no way I will ever be able to ask him again_' She thought while she started to feel depressed.

"Cynder? Are you feeling alright?" Spyro asked again with more concern.

'_He must think I'm crazy, what am I-_'

"Cynder!" Spyro yelled, abruptly breaking her away from her thoughts.

She looked up at him "Did you say something Spyro?" she asked innocently.

"I asked if you heard something?" he repeated, slightly confused at what just happened "Are you feeling alright?"

"No I'm fine, I was sure I heard something back then" she said while pushing him off of her "Guess it was nothing, come on the cheetah village couldn't be far away now"

She took off in the final stretch to the cheetah village "Coming? Or do you need me to carry you again?"

"You won't get away this time!" he declared while taking off after her. '_I wonder what that was about?_' he decided to ask her more about it once they get to Warfang.

xXx

Somewhere between the mainland and Dante's Freezer, a small team of Ice Elementals were freezing the water beneath their feet, slowly but surely making their way over the watery wasteland.

They knew exactly what they had to do. Awaken the Earth Elementals.

There were twenty of them in total; at the very back a larger Elemental, presumably the leader of the group could be seen. He was an Elemental with three icicles hovering above his head, barking out orders in the forms of short screeches.

To his left and right there were two smaller Elementals, they all had a single icicle above their heads. The other notable difference was that instead of three sharp icicles for fingers, their arms consisted of two pieces of ice, where the hands should be there is a single white spear-like point about seven inches long.

Infront of the five more superior Elementals were fifteen small Elemental beings. They were all the same size as the one-icicle Elementals but had the same form as the three-icicle Elemental. The most notable change in them was the fact that they had no icicles on their heads at all.

The fifteen small Elementals were busy cooling the water with a chilling wind emanating from their transparent hands, allowing them to cross the ocean while remaining hidden from the inhabitants of their destination.

xXx

-Unknown Area-

Within a poorly illuminated cave a dragoness was fleeing from unknown pursuer. This particular dragoness had pink scales and an underbelly of a light yellow colour. Her horns were a slightly darker shade of yellow; they looked very similar to Spyros'. Her wings were an ever lighter shade of pink than the scales across her body. Her tail ended with an ivory white coloured heart. Lastly were her eyes. They were a light teal colour, however right now they were filled with a sort of fear.

Her tail was flailing wildly behind her as she ran through the dark cave. Not too far behind her the sound of another pair of paws hitting the ground could be heard. Daring to look behind her the pink dragoness saw a blur of red and yellow, sending a fresh dose of adrenaline through her veins.

Ahead of her she saw the cave coming to a turn, forcing her to slow down or risk slamming into the wall, ending the pursuit.

Her pursuer noticed that her speed was dropping. However he did not see the wall ahead of him. Grinning maliciously he started running even faster to catch her.

As she we around the corner she glanced back and, to her horror, saw that the red and gold blur was moving even faster. Knowing she wouldn't make it she kept running until the last possible moment. Just as she saw the figure leaping at her she hit the ground, causing the assailant to soar over her and into the wall with a loud thud.

He slid down to the floor and out of curiosity the young dragoness slowly edged forward. When she got close enough she could see her pursuer clearly. He was a blood-red scaled dragon. His horns were a golden yellow colour, curving back identically to that of the pink dragoness. His underbelly was the same colour as his horns, so was the tip of his tail which ended in the shape of an arrow head. His wings were also sporting the same colours of his body.

'_M-Maybe he knocked himself out?_' Thought the dragoness as she got closer the unmoving body of the red dragon.

When she was as close to him as she dared to be his eyes shot open revealing their startling crimson colour. Before she could react he pounced on her, pinning her beneath.

She shrieked in surprise before noticing the smug grin tugging on his muzzle "No fair Flame! I was really worried about you!"

"Ha! Like a little hit like that could hurt me!" Exclaimed the energetic dragon "You worry too much Ember"

"Can you get off please? Or are you enjoying this position?" She teased the dragon pinning her down while giving him a seductive smile.

As soon as those words left her mouth the red dragon's face got an extra layer of red "Sh-Shut up!" he stammered while quickly jumping off of his captive "I caught you so I win this round! Let's go find Darman and Sion to tell them how badly you lost"

"Oh ha-ha Flame, we both know I would have won that if you weren't stupid enough to run head first into a wall!" yelled Ember while glaring at her red scaled friend.

Just then two more dragons came from the around the corner. The one in front was obviously an earth dragon. His scales were a bright green colour, similar to that of lush grass. His underbelly was a dark brown colour, a strong contrast to his brightly coloured scales. His horns were also coloured dark brown, they curved back slightly. On the tip of his tail was a brown arrow shaped tip.

The second one was a bit shorter than the green dragon walking in front of him. The second dragon had dark blue coloured scales; he also had strange jet-black lines running from his tail to the tip of his muzzle. His underbelly was a dark yellow colour, adorned with the same black lines. His tail was nothing special at all, it ended with a straight point and he had no horns on his head. Most dragons think he is an ice dragon at first glance, but he is actually something completely different.

"Haha no kidding! Flame what were you thinking? Running head first into a wall? Brawns will do you no good in a fight if you knock yourself out before the enemy can even hit you!" Spoke the green dragon while laughing at his red scaled friend.

"Shut up Sion! Or do you want me to kick your ass again?" snarled Flame while getting into an aggressive pose.

Sion shot him a grin "Oh sure, but are you sure you want to fight here with all these nasty walls around you?"

Finally the dark blue dragon spoke "Come on you two let's not fight now! We have been away for a long time, if we don't hurry back the elders will get mad" His voice sounded unsure, he was a shy dragon even around friends.

"Darman is right" spoke Ember "I don't know about you two but I don't feel like scrubbing the elders' room until it shines again"

"Yeah right, we can just use Darmans element again!" exclaimed Flame excitedly "Remember how well it worked last time?"

"Flame, the last time he did that he took away most of the valuables along with the dirt!" retorted Ember

Flame smiled broadly "Yeah but it did clean the place! We did what we were asked"

Ember gave a defeated sigh "Sometimes you are just impossible!"

The four friends then ventured back to their village, oblivious to the change rapidly approaching their lives.

xXx

"I can see the cheetah village!" came the excited cry of Cynder.

"Finally! My wings are just ready to go limp" said Spyro in a mixture of fatigue and happiness.

"That's your own fault" retorted Cynder

"No it's not!" Spyro shot back "You kept forcing me to chase you!"

"Well it's your own fault for not catching me quicker!" she teased him.

Spyro looked like he was about to give his argument but the light caught Cynder in such a way that he completely forgot what he was about to say '_Ever since we got back from that fight with Malefor something about Cynder...changed. I need to find out what that is_' he made a mental note to discuss this with her as he was convinced it had something to do with what she heard and he missed.

The rest of the flight was relatively peaceful as the sun started to set. As they got closer Cynder noticed that many cheetah warriors were running around beneath them, bows drawn and spears at the ready. Spyro also seemed to notice this and beckoned for her to land a safe distance away as not to give them any reason to attack them. As they cautiously approached the tribe they were greeted by a familiar face.

"Spyro!" came the shout of an approaching cheetah.

As he removed hood covering his face Spyro immediately knew who it was "Meadow!" greeted the purple dragon "It's great to see you again!" He looked over the rest of the approaching unhooded figures, but failed to see who he was looking for "Where are Hunter and Prowlus?"

"Prowlus is still at Warfang" replied Meadow "and according to a message his falcon brought me, Hunter is leading one of two groups searching for you"

"I had no idea they were already looking for us" said Spyro with shock present in his voice.

"Well with the war going I am not surprised" said Meadow with a sigh as he gave a few strange hand signs to the cheetahs behind him, causing them to go back.

"But Meadow" said Spyro happily "The war is over! We defeated Malefor a few days ago and haven't seen a single trace of the Dark Army since!"

Meadow looked at the purple dragon in front of him with eyes as wide as saucers in disbelief "Are you serious?" he asked, dreading Spyro might say he was just making a cruel joke.

"Yes!" came the happy reply of Spyro "Malefor is dead and so is his army, peaceful times are upon us!"

For a while Meadow stood frozen, trying to process the information given to him. He knew that Spyro would never lie about something as big as this. Scout reports further confirm his claims as they have sighted no threats of any kind for the last two days. Meadow made a mad sprint for his village while shouting "The war is over!" loud enough for the entire village to hear.

As Spyro and Cynder approached the village they could start to hear the loud cheer emanating from the village ahead. Upon entering they were bombarded with questions. How did they defeat Malefor? How did they survive the fight? Why did the earth break apart and then get pulled back together?

They were overwhelmed by the amount of questions they received but they were not surprised. They expect the same thing to happen in Warfang once they arrived. Suddenly all fell silent as a large, well built cheetah approached them.

"I am Tro, leader of the guard and temporary chief while Chief Prowlus is in Warfang to aid the dragons. I have heard of your claims from Meadow, yet he was unable to provide details. How do we know you speak the truth?" stated the large cheetah in a deep voice.

"As of now I have no such proof, but the Dragon Guardians in Warfang and your Chief would support me in my claims" stated Spyro.

Tro considered the small dragon in front of him for a moment. He remembered these very dragons saving the village from an attack not long ago and they saved Meadow "If what you say is true, then you must tell us your tale young dragons, it would be an honour feasting with the saviours of our lands!"

Nods of agreement from every cheetah present were given. Spyro and Cynder shortly met each other's gazes and an unspoken agreement was made. They were exhausted, but they knew this would not be the last time they would have to repeat the events that led to the end of the war. They accepted the offer Tro gave them.

They were then led to an empty hut by Tro "I hope this is to your liking for the night'. It was a beautifully decorated single roomed hut. There were heads of numerous animal heads hanging from the wall along with a few paintings of cheetahs in the midst of combat and a single bookshelf stood at the back adorning many thick books that Volteer would love to get his paws on. On either side of the bookshelf were two cushions.

Spyro was glad they got such a luxurious room. He spent most of his life sleeping on the hard floor, so this would be a welcome change for him.

"The feast will be ready in about three hours" said Tro "It will be held in the Village Centre. We will hear of your heroics after we have eaten"

"Thank you" said Spyro sincerely.

"It's the least we can do for our saviours!" said Tro happily.

Spyro and Cynder spent the next hour walking together through the village, taking in the sights and taking notice that there were still guards patrols "I guess it's a bit unbelievable that the war just ended so suddenly, they are going to need more proof than the word of two young dragons" said Cynder while they walked past another patrol.

"They have every right to be cautious" replied Spyro after some thought "They are at the end of a very long war, old habits die hard after all"

"I guess you're right" she said with a sigh "I just hope that now that I helped defeat him my past can finally be forgiven"

Spyro looked at her sternly "I don't want you to talk like it's your fault again. You were controlled by Malefor, those actions were not your own, so there is nothing to forgive"

"I know you told me of that before, but...but" she trailed off, tears building up in her eyes "I still remember every detail of those that I killed. How am I supposed to live with the fact that I am the cause of children becoming orphans, ending entire families in one night?"

Spyro could see she was in great pain, he knew he had to comfort his closest friend "Cynder, I can't begin to imagine what it's like" he embraced her to ease her pain, much like she did to him the previous day as he recalled how much it helped him "but I will help you get through this. If anybody tries to hold that against you they will have to deal with me. You are free from Malefor, forever, you don't have to be alone again"

Upon those words tears flowed freely down her cheeks "Thank you Spyro, you have no idea how much that means to me" they stayed in that position for the next few minutes, enjoying the comfort they provided to each other.

Eventually they broke their embrace "Let's go back to the hut and rest a bit before we go to the feast" said Spyro softly.

Cynder said nothing, not trusting her voice, instead nodding in agreement while she wiped the tears from her face. They both knew they still had a long night ahead of them as this feast would surely be a lengthy one.

xXx

Hunter was searching along the Silver River, hoping to swiftly locate his purple friend.

As the day started turning into night Hunter called the dragons to stop for the night, seeking shelter in a large tree. He was uncertain whether to be ecstatic with joy or sick with fear as throughout the day they saw no enemies of any kind.

He knew that Spyro has most likely defeated the Dark Master but he had not proof as of yet '_that could be the reason we saw no evil creatures so far_' he reasoned to himself. But he knew there could be one other, terrible reason for the absence of enemies '_They could be regrouping, rallying their forces from all across the land to Ancestors know_ _where to overwhelm Warfang_'

As darkness descended upon the land Hunter addressed the group to make shifts of who stayed awake while the rest slept. With their natural adaptation for the darkness the cheetahs could spot danger much easier at night, but the dragons had advantage of flight. With that in mind Hunter decided to have one at a time awake for an hour and on their second hour be joined by one of the other species to ensure maximum efficiency at spotting any potential threats. As the leader of the group Hunter took the only three hour shift to give the rest of his group a bit more sleep.

After finishing the patrol schedule Hunter and one of the dragons went to hunt for their dinner while the other two started a fire and prepared suitable sleeping conditions.

As Hunter located his prey he slowly raised his bow. With his arrow notched he took aim and swift as the winds itself the arrow found its target. With its heart pierced the deer fell down limply instantaneously.

"Tremble!" he shouted "I got another one! Mind coming to get it?"

Moments later a large brown scaled dragon landed in front of him "That's the third one Hunter, I do believe we have enough" Tremble said.

Hunter shrugged his shoulders "Usually one would be enough but you two big dragons need a lot more than simply a small piece of meat to get your fill!"

"Hmhmhm, indeed we do" he said with an amused chuckle "I will take this back to the camp"

"Very well, I shall see you there" said Hunter as the large earth dragon took off.

As Hunter was about to go back he saw something in the corner of his eye. He turned to fully face the strange object.

He could not make out the details but could see it was some type of obelisk. He slowly walked toward the obelisk, weary of any ambushes that might await him. He knew that an attack was a risk he could not take, he put two fingers to his mouth and made a two high pitched sounds sounding similar to that of a bird chirping.

He knew Tremor was still close by and would hear his signal, with that he continued stalking towards the obelisk. As he got closer he could slowly make out some of its details. The obelisk was made completely out of smooth rock. It had a single hole the size of his paw in the middle of it, going straight through. As he got close enough he saw something that he cursed himself for not noticing sooner, floating in the middle of the hole was a tiny glowing crystal. He was now close enough to touch the strange obelisk and he proceeded to do just that with the hilt of his dagger to feel the grooves upon it.

As his hilt made contact with it Tremor landed loudly next to him, causing him to retract his hand and leap back in surprise.

"What is it Hunter? Have you found something?" asked Tremor. He knew that two whistles in short succession meant that a suspicious object was found.

"Yes" replied Hunter while sheathing his weapon "Have you ever seen an obelisk like this?"

Tremor stepped forward to study the oddly made object "No, I cannot say that I have. But what I am certain of is that this was crafted by a master, and recently at that. There is no moss and no signs of decay, I am quite intrigued about this crystal though as I have never seen any crystal other than the spirit gems give off a light such as this"

"The Guardians might know what this thing is. Are you able to make a rough duplicate of this thing?" asked Hunter as he tried to shake the eerie feeling he was getting from nowhere.

"Perhaps, but it might not be as good as this one" said Tremor as he slammed one of his front paws into the ground beneath him. A second later a smaller, almost perfect replica sprung forth from beneath Hunter "Would that do?" asked Tremor with a smug grin.

Hunter just turned around and went to the camp, looking down and muttering something inaudible to himself about 'smug dragons' and 'kiss my ass'.

xXx

"Flaaaaaame!" came the enraged shout of a certain pink dragoness as she ran from a building in the centre of their home "I am going to kill you when I get my paws on you!"

Daring to poke his head from the door Darman couldn't help but chuckle nervously at the thought of what would happen to his hot-headed friend if the pink dragoness caught him.

Contrary to the nervous laughter of the blue scaled dragon, Sion was rolling on his back, laughing uncontrollably. He knew Flame could do some stupid things, but making a fire breathing monster like Ember that angry caused him to lose all control of himself.

"I'm sorry! How many time do I have to- ack!" Flame tried to apologize as he ducked under a jet of flames from behind him "It was just a joke!"

"You're sorry? Well so am I for what I am going to do to you!" shouted Ember as she unleashed another torrent of flames from her maw.

"How does he keep getting himself into situations like this?" asked Darman with a sigh.

"Well he did sort of tell Ember that she would never get other dragons to notice her unless she became more attractive, in front of Axen no less- bahaha!" Sion nearly shouted as he laughed on.

"Should we go save him?" asked Darman as he watched Flame nearly swallowed by a particularly big wave of fire "I swear Ember is starting to use Furies on him now!"

"Wha-? HA! I think you're right! Look at the size of that fireball!" said Sion, causing Darman to sweatdrop in fear for his friend.

"That impulsive dragon needs to learn some restraint and boundaries!" said a powerful voice from behind them. As they turned around they saw their village leader, Axen. He was a large Fire Dragon with crimson red scales. He had a large scar running from beneath his left horn to his chin. His right horn was in good condition, it was long and straight, while his left horn where the scar runs from was broken off near the middle. His tail ended with a sword-like tip and it was just as sharp as one.

It dawned upon Darman that if he didn't stop Ember soon then Axen would soon join her and he knew his friend would suffer for it "M-Maybe I can go stop them?" he asked the giant Fire Dragon.

"If you are able to, use your element if needed but I don't want those two to hurt anybody" said Axen with a scowl "if you do use it, let's not have a repetition of the cleaning incident?"

At that moment Sion laughed even harder. Darman glanced at Flame and saw his tail was now on fire. He knew it wouldn't do any permanent damage but it would hurt him "Yes sir" he said and took off after the two fire dragons.

"Owowowowow!" shouted Flame while trying to extinguish the fire burning his tail "that really hurts Ember!"

"Does it now? Stand still for a moment and I'll fix that!" she shouted while releasing a Fury-like blast of fire at the dragon racing ahead of her

"Are you using Furies?!" asked Flame with a high pitched shriek as he dodged to the side.

"I'm not sure, why don't you turn around and find out?" she said before releasing yet another ball of fire at him.

"Ok ok! I was wrong! You're very attractive!" he shouted frantically.

Ember was surprised at that but soon she remembered his previous words "Now you're trying to flirt with me while I am about to roast you? Get real!" she spat three fast moving fireballs at him, she was sure he wouldn't be able to dodge them.

As they were about to hit him they changed course. Unsure of what just happened she stopped to look in the direction her attacks were going and she saw Darman hovering in the air "Stop doing that and let me cook Flame!" she shouted at her friend.

Darman cut the use of his element and looked down at Ember "I can't! Axen was just about to stop you both! Which do you prever?" he asked the furious dragoness, hoping she would see reason.

"Fine!" she snapped "But the next time I see him you have keep him from running away!"

"Ok I will, just please no more for now" he pleaded the calming dragoness.

"Deal" she said and went to her home

Soon after she was gone Flame flew up to him "Thanks man! I swear she is the scariest dragon alive when she gets angry enough, not even the Terror of the Skies would match up to her"

"She won't drop this that easily, I just delayed the inevitable" he said with a sigh.

"Still, thanks, let's go get Sion and go home" said Flame as he took off in the direction of the excitable earth dragon.

xXx

"Blitz!" came the cry of an ice dragoness coming up behind the large electric dragon.

"What is it?" he replied in an exhausted voice "have you found anything?"

"Yes sir, near the coast we have found something quite disturbing" she paused for a moment before continuing "We have found a very large area frozen solid"

His eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment before hardening again "What sort of ice dragon could do that, and why?"

"I am not sure sir, but you best come take a look, the cheetahs are searching the area in search of the dragons that caused this" she said as she took the lead.

During the flight many scenarios played out in Blitzs' mind, but he thought of the most logical one constantly '_The Dark Army might have fought against some ice dragons_ _from a hidden settlement_'. The flight continued for another 10 minutes, giving Blitz time to think of his other options. Once he arrived his mind was blown by what he saw '_no dragon could have caused this_'. Laid out in front of him was not what he had expected at all. He expected a field littered with the bodies of the Dark Army and dragons, instead he found a frozen plateau. Every blade of grass, every tree, every animal stood frozen in a thick layer of transparent ice. The frozen animals were trying to flee from whatever caused this.

"Shiro, do you have any idea what could have frozen this land? An ice Fury performed by an exceptionally powerful dragon perhaps?" asked Blitz, still not being able to comprehend what he was seeing.

"I have considered it sir but no ice Fury, no matter the strength of the dragon performing it, would be able to freeze and area as large as this" answered Shiro.

Blitz was at a loss for words "Where are the cheetahs?"

"They are still searching the area sir, shall I go find them?" asked the ice dragoness.

"Yes, I will remain here and try to make sense of this" said Blitz as Shiro took flight.

He went closer to one of the rabbits frozen in its fleeing position. The ice encasing the unfortunate creature is as clear as crystal. He knew that whatever did this was clearly not hunting for prey and there are no tell tale signs of a fight in the area. It bothered him greatly as to why this happened.

"Blitz! Help!" came the panicked cry of a voice he knew all too well.

Wasting no time he took to the skies in the direction he could feel Shiro's bursts of energy. As he got closer he could feel multiple new sources of unfamiliar energy. It did not feel like a Grubling, he felt too much power coming from it. It could not be an Orc as they had a natural resistance to the sensing capabilities of an electric dragon. He considered it to be dragons for a moment, but disregarded that the moment he heard an unearthly screech penetrate the air.

He swung his head in the direction of the noise and he saw Shiro fighting what looked like...a piece of ice? He was sure his eyes were playing tricks on him until one of the icy figures lunged itself at Shiro.

"Get down!" not waiting to see if she heard him he unleashed a bright yellow crack of electricity from his maw. The moment it made contact with the strange figure it burst into tiny fragments of ice and left behind a small glowing light.

The icy figure in the back turned to face Blitz "Blitz get on the ground! That thing can use some sort of ice breath and on a long range!" as those words left her mouth she was attacked by two more smaller ice figures.

Blitz noticed the largest one point one arm at him '_Damn!_' he cursed to himself. Multiple shards of ice flew at him at a very high speed. He managed to use a combo of breath attacks and swipes with his tail and talons to destroy most of the incoming attack.

A few still found their target as he roared in pain and flew to the ground in fear of another barrage. As he hit the ground he was surrounded by two icy warriors with scythe-like arms.

There was no warning before the two of them ran at him with surprising speed. He was able to block the one coming at him from the front with ease using a burst of electricity.

He quickly spun around to block the incoming strike aimed at his back with his front talons. As he pulled out of the block he noticed that his paws were numb from the cold the creature he clashed with caused.

He heard a shriek of horror from Shiro cut short in the distance '_This isn't good_' he thought as he slashed at a smaller elemental trying to surprise him from the side. He knew he could not keep this up for much longer, he could feel many more of these energies rapidly approaching him.

He was caught off guard when one of the scythe-armed elementals leapt at him from nowhere. He knew he wouldn't be able to dodge in time and his numbing limbs would be too sluggish to block the strike. He closed his eyes as he accepted his fate, awaiting a sharp pain followed by darkness. But it never came. Daring to open his eyes he saw an arrow protruding from the chest of the strange creature.

"Don't just stand there! Run!" he recognized the voice as one of the cheetahs he came with.

"Do not waste your time with me! These infernal beings have caused me to lose all control of my paws! It would be impossible for me to escape!" he shattered a small elemental making a mad dash towards him with a powerful swipe of his tail "Get to Warfang and tell the Guardians of these creatures, they must be warned!"

The cheetah looked like he wanted to argue but a stern look from Blitz killed off any argument the cheetah might have given. The cheetah turned around and ran for all he was worth towards Warfang.

Satisfied that the cheetah was far enough he prepared all his power within him '_This may not save me, but it will atleast kill a few of these abominations!_' his scales were crackling with electric bolts as he focused all of his power into a Fury that he hoped would dispose of these enigmas.

When his power reached its peak Blitzs' eyes were glowing with yellow energy as they shot open "DIEEEE!" he shouted as he was about to unleash his pent up power.

A flash intense light came from somewhere on his right. Before he was able to unleash it all he was encased in ice, forcing the full strength of his fury to collide with the surrounding ice. The ice exploded violently, sending shards of ice everywhere. Blitz thought the lethally fast shards would impale and kill his enemies. To his horror he saw the flying ice projectiles get harmlessly absorbed into the creatures, not killing a single one.

'_Damn, not even one. I can only pray to the Ancestors that news of these creatures reaches Warfang_' he thought in his final moments, knowing that there would be no arrow saving his hide this time.

As he fell down he was swiftly impaled with several icy stalactites, ending his life.

xXx

**A/N**

**Well there you have it! Chapter 2 of Elemental Darkness! I hope you all enjoyed it :D**

**Yes, I called the dark blue dragon after the Darman that supported me so much.**

**Please remember to leave a review to help me improve, constructive criticism is welcomed, but please refrain from flaming as those flames would only add to the building threat of Fire Elementals.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Hello again my few readers!**

**Before I start this chapter I want to thank XxTheSomeonexX for not only pointing out many errors in my writing, but also helping me fix those problems! Also thanks to wolfartist117 for pointing out that Cynder is a bit OOC in this story. As such I will be changing her as of this chapter (please mail me again if I still got it wrong).**

**Now on to Chapter 3!**

xXx

The next morning Spyro was awoken by an intruding light shining through the windows, but waking up was the last thing on his mind. After retelling their adventures the cheetah village held a celebration larger than any they have held before. Meat of every kind was served, varying from fish, to deer, to rabbit, to bird. It was a night that would not soon be forgotten by those who attended.

The festivities went on long after both Spyro and Cynder decided to retire to their luxurious hut.

As much as he would like to get dragged back to the blissful embrace of sleep he had to get back to Warfang to tell the Guardians of their success and honor the memory of his mentor and friend who gave his life to ensure victory.

He rose from his cushions and lazily stretched his limbs to dispose of his morning stiffness. He looked over to where Cynder slept the previous night and saw an empty sleeping space '_Must have gone to get breakfast._'

Spyro decided that breakfast would not be such a bad idea and took off to the village centre. On his way there he received congratulations' and thanks from most of the cheetah folk he walked by. Spyro knew why he deserved the praises but now that the war is over he wanted to be treated like a normal dragon and enjoy what remains of his youth.

After some more walking he reached the village centre and saw Cynder and Tro talking to each other, Tro occasionally laughing a bit. Cynder spotted him and waved him over to join them.

"Morning Spyro" said the black dragoness and the temporary chief.

"Morning Cynder, Tro" replied the purple scaled dragon.

"Cynder was just telling me of the little adventure of how you traveled here" said Tro with an amused look on his face "I must say I am surprised that you were able to make it this far."

Spyro glared at his black scaled friend "You didn't!"

"Yup, every detail" she said with a soft laughter "I even told him the parts where you begged me to catch your food and help you walk to shelter. I was just telling him about how you crashed into the river while trying to fly again, nearly drowning had it not been for me."

"But you never-"

"Now now young dragon." Tro cut him off "It is nothing to be ashamed of, you are just lucky you had this fine dragoness there to look after you."

Spyro knew arguing would be futile. He lowered his head in defeat and went to get some food.

Cynder was barely able to keep a straight face upon seeing Spyro like that "Thanks, never thought I could get him this early in the morning."

Tro was also amused at Cynder's attempt to provide some entertainment for all three of them "It was my pleasure young one, but he was not that helpless was he?"

"Hmhm, nah." Cynder said and looked at the large cheetah "He could barely stand from exhaustion and I used my Wind Element to push him into the river. When I did that atleast we both enjoyed it…well, maybe me a bit more than him."

Tro merely nodded to acknowledge what she said "Back to what we were talking about, when do you plan on departing for Warfang?"

"I was planning on discussing that with Spyro, but I think we will leave when we finish breakfast." said Cynder as she got up to get some food.

Spyro could not believe Cynder would exaggerate like that. He easily forgave her as he knew that she was just trying to lift both their spirits with the severe exaggeration. As he went through the available food he spotted a particularly large venison and took it between his jaws. He trotted back to the table where he left Cynder and Tro to devour his meal.

The moment he got there he sprang into his meal, eating it so fast Tro assumed he used some sort of element to inhale the meat "It's already dead Spyro, it won't run away if you eat at a normal pace!" scolded Cynder. Spyro looked like he wanted to say something but Cynder put a paw in front of his face "Haven't I already told you? Don't talk with your mouth full. Just keep doing what you are doing to your food while I talk, okay?"

Spyro nodded his head while eating the rest of his food with gusto as Cynder spoke "When we are done eating I think we should go to Warfang. It's a long flight so if we leave within the hour we can still make it there before nightfall."

Swallowing the last of his food Spyro could now speak without fear of the Terror of the Skies keeping him quiet "I agree. If there are already search parties looking for us then the Guardians must be worried."

"There is no need to fret over that. Last night before the feast I sent a falcon with a message to Prowlus telling him of your arrival here and the good news you bring" he handed Spyro a piece of paper "that was the reply I received this morning"

_We are relieved to hear that they made it back safely_

_Please inform them that we shall await them with open arms once they arrive in Warfang_

_As temporary chief I want you to ensure that they depart before the sun sits at its highest_

_You only mentioned two dragons but three were sent into battle. Is the Fire Guardian not there?_

_-Prowlus_

As Spyro read the last part of the message he looked downcast very quickly. The previous night Cynder had to retell the entire event at the Ring of Flames (minus the part where Spyro was overtaken by darkness) as Spyro was unable to speak about it at all.

Both dragons thanked the temporary chief as they took to the skies, knowing that they would once again be caught in a feast of epic proportions and be made to retell their adventure.

xXx

_There were thousands upon thousands of glowing silhouettes charging towards a large city that Hunter did not recognize as it was covered in shadows. There were five different glowing colors among the unknown advancing army. Blood red, icy blue, dark green, bright yellow and a pure white._

_Standing around the city while facing towards the incoming threat were dragons, yet Hunter knew they were hopelessly outnumbered. He could see a large dragon addressing the croud, but no sound came from his moving maw._

_As he finished his speech all the dragons seemed to roar and fire a barrage of fireballs, icicles, arcs of electricity and large chunks of earth at the approaching army. Hunter watched as some of the long ranged attacks hit their targets they burst with a small explosion of light while some of the attacks got absorbed into their targets._

_Shorty afterwards the glow of several of the figures got brighter before they unleashed their own long ranged attack. But like the figures the attacks were nothing but a bright glow._

_The exchange of attacks continued while the figures kept advancing towards the dragons. Eventually the dragons charged forward, horns lowered to impale the front lines. As they collided Hunter was blinded by a bright flash._

Hunter sat up with a start, his fur wet from the amount he was sweating '_What sort of dream was that?_'

He looked towards the sky and saw the sun would rise soon. Hunter slowly got up, still disoriented from the strange dream he had.

Deciding to get his mind off of the dream he strapped his quiver to his back, picked up his bow and went to the river in search of an early morning catch.

As he walked by the river his thoughts were focused on the dream he had. Hunter was plagued by one constantly nagging question: '_What were those things?_'

He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard something land behind him. He spun around, ready to defend himself from the potential enemy.

"Is everything alright Hunter?" asked Tremble "My shift does not end for another hour and a half."

"It's…It's nothing, I am just a bit distracted.." Hunter lied. The last thing he needs is his team thinking their leader has gone off the deep end.

Tremble might have noticed this lie if he had not come to tell Hunter something "I went back towards that obelisk we found yesterday as I got an uneasy feeling from it and I found something slightly troubling."

Hunter raised an eyebrow as he also felt something wrong there during his short search there "What would that be?" He asked, prompting the earth dragon to continue.

"The obelisk has disappeared along with all evidence that it ever was there. I found no hole, not even a dent where it used to stand, yet our tracks are still there."

"That is disturbing." Hunter said with worry evident in his voice "We will continue the search further along the river for the rest of the day and head back tomorrow. We start our search early; let's head back to camp to wake the others."

xXx

Ever since the message of Spyro spending the night in the cheetah village reached his ears Sparx has been patrolling the walls nonstop. He was getting tired but the thought of seeing his brother again easily overwhelmed his weariness.

As the day wore on he was joined by Terrador, evidently just as ancious as Sparx.

"When will they make it back?" asked Sparx as he scanned the horizon once again.

"Only time will tell young Sparx." Terrador said as he looked down to the much smaller insect "Prowlus stated clearly that they will leave the village before the morning is over."

"Yeah but I still want to see him as soon as possible!" Sparx nearly yelled.

"Patience, Sparx. They shall still arrive before nightfa-" Terrador started but he was forced to end his sentence short due to the alarm horn '_One..Two short blows_' Terrador mentally counted '_and two longer ones_'. Terrador looked in the direction where the alarm indicated to "Something has been sighted between the northern and eastern gates." Terrador stated.

Sparx was filled with new energy "Do you think it could be them?" asked Sparx while following Terrador's gaze. Before Terrador could answer Sparx darted off towards the north-eastern wall at a speed that would put a Wind Dragon to shame.

"I can hear the alarm, I guess that spotted us." Spyro said as they got closer to the Dragon City.

"Do you think they'll give us a warmer welcome than the cheetah village?" Cynder asked as she nervously looked for any potential dangers.

"I don't think they'll attack us before identifying us first. After all we know they know we are coming." Spyro said.

"Yeah, you are probably rig- Spyro look out!" Cynder frantically said as she saw what appeared to be an incredibly fast and small fireball heading towards them.

"Gah!" Spyro cried in surprise as he felt something make contact with the space between his eyes.

"Spyrooooooooo!" screamed the fireball as it clung to the purple dragon "I missed you, are you hurt? Are you tired? Can we get rid of the she-demon flying beside us?"

Spyro smiled happily upon recognizing the voice of the not-so-hot fireball "It's great to see you too Sparx!"

"Hi there you little mosquito!" Cynder exclaimed happily.

"You are so lucky that I am having a moment with my brother!" Sparx said while raising a fist at her "But it's good to see you atleast kept your promise to me." he continued with a warm smile.

As the three landed they were met by the Guardians.

"It's absolutely marvelous to see you again in such a pristine condition young dragons!" Volteer declared happily.

"Welcome back young ones, it certainly is grand to see you again." Cyril said while smiling at the young dragons "But where is Ignitus? He was not even mentioned in the note sent to us from the cheetah village."

At that Spyro averted his eyes as a sad expression crept on his face.

"He gave his life to save us from the Ring of Fire." Cynder answered for him.

"That is most unfortunate. Spyro you must not let the death of Ignitus bother you." Terrador said in a soothing voice "He gave his life not only doing his duty as a Guardian, but also saving the one precious to him."

"Can we please talk about this later?" Spyro asked in a sad tone, yet he felt slightly better from Terrador's words.

Sparx quickly flew in to save his foster brother from more questions "Come on big guy! Let's get you to your room." He glanced at Cynder "There is a nice field of grass not too far from here, you might like it."

That seemed to get Spyro somewhat distracted "Sparx…" he said menacingly.

"Oh fine, follow me she-demon" Sparx said as he dropped his arms in defeat while a small smile tugged on his mouth.

xXx

"How long did Terrador say it would take for them to find us again?" Asked Megan with a yawn.

"He didn't, are you sure we took the right tunnel?" came the reply of a light-red scaled dragon beside her.

"Yes I am sure! Really Krieg, don't you have any faith in me?" she asked with a playful tone in her voice.

Krieg sighed "Of course I do, but this is getting ridiculous, we have been down here for so long and so far we saw no signs of any dragon settlement, what's more our damn bird flew away when we go close to the cave!"

"Of course we wouldn't find any evidence of them being here, it is called a 'hidden' settlement after all." Megan replied with a hint of superiority in her statement.

"Sometimes you are just impossible.." Krieg sighed.

"Who's there? Identify yourself or we will strike you down!" came a commanding voice from an unseen source.

Megan nearly panicked at the harshness of the voice but maintained her composure "We are messengers from Warfang, we have business with your leader. The Guardian of Earth, Terrador, gave us directions to this place."

After a few minutes of silence the voice spoke again "Very well, we will take you to the settlement. Keep walking straight and you will find me." said the voice "But be warned, should you try anything at all you will be crushed without hesitation by the rest of the dragons surrounding you." said the voice more threateningly this time.

Megan and Krieg both did as instructed and soon came upon a large earth dragon.

"Follow me closely. If you even try to build up the energy for a breath attack we will know and make sure it never leaves your maw, am I clear?" asked the earth dragon with authority.

Both Krieg and Megan nodded in agreement as they started following the larger earth dragon.

After making many twists, turns and a few drops down holes they finally made it to a much more open cavern. There were many shelters built out of stone scattered across the cavern.

Krieg suddenly realized that he was able to clearly see the area ahead of him even though he was now deep underground "Umm, earth dragon guide? How are we able to see this clearly underground?"

He simply lifted one paw up and pointed it to the ceiling in the middle of the cavern. Both Megan and Krieg followed the talon. Upon finding the source of their curiousness their eyes went wide with surprise. Upon the ceiling was the single largest crystal either of them ever saw. It was easily as big as atleast 5 of the homes around them; in comparison, a normal 'large' gem would be as big as the door of one of said houses.

As they reached the central building they easily saw that it was much bigger than the rest of the buildings around them, but still just made of rock.

"Wait here." the earth dragon told them as he went inside. A short while later the earth dragon emerged again, followed by a large fire dragon.

"Are these the dragons from Warfang?" He asked the earth dragon beside him.

"As they claim to be, but they are unable to provide any evidence supporting their claims." the earth dragon informed his leader.

"Then speak, give me a reason not to imprison you for seeing this place." said the fire dragon with a strong voice.

"We were sent by the Earth Guardian, Terrador, to deliver a message for a dragon named Axen" Megan said with as much respect as she could manage.

"Then you are talking to the right dragon, tell me this message." Axen said while slightly relaxing.

"The war is over, Malefor has been defeated along with his army and the world has been pulled back from the brink of collapse." Megan said while looking at the shocked faces of the 2 dragons ahead of her.

However, their shocked expressions did not last for long as it was soon replaced with suspicion "You lie, the Dark Master could only be killed by a purple dragon as stated in the legends." Axen spoke finally.

"Three days ago the Destroyer attempted to invade Warfang. It was stopped by the efforts of the city, however the Dark Master used his powers to get it moving again." Megan spoke as she recalled past events "Three dragons were sent to defeat Malefor before the Destroyer could make it to the city. Those dragons were Spyro the purple dragon, Ignitus the Guardian of Fire and Cynder-"

"The Terror of the Skies? That monstrosity is with the Dark Master!" Axen was now enraged by what he was convinced was a lie.

"She used to be with the Dark Master; the purple dragon defeated her and purged the darkness from her many years ago. She has fought with us since, and helped defeat Malefor as I said moments ago." Krieg intervened before the situation got out of hand.

"Morris!" Axen snapped, still enraged, but he was starting to calm down "Get Zaak and Laciter here, now!"

Saluting with one wing the earth dragon named Morris flew to get the two wind dragons.

"One of you shall remain here while the other goes back to Warfang with Zaak and Laciter. I want more evidence than the word of two fire dragons, bring me one of the Guardians to confirm your words." Axen said as three dragons landed near them.

"Yes Axen?" Said a white scaled dragon. He was a wind dragon in his prime, not a hatchling anymore but still not quite an adult yet. He and the second white dragon were both slightly shorter then Krieg. The second white dragon looked a lot like the first, but where the first had a pale yellow underbelly the second one had a much darker shade of yellow.

"I want you both to travel with one of these dragons towards Warfang to retrieve a Guardian." Axen said while pointing at Krieg.

"With all due respect, the Guardians are preoccupied with the repairs in Warfang, they will not be able to leave as they are needed there." argued Megan.

Axen glared at the dragoness "Then your friend will need to make a plan once he gets there. You will remain prisoner until he returns. Go now and you will make it to Warfang before morning." he turned his attention to Morris "Take this one to a single room house and gather 2 dragons to constantly be with her" He once again turned to Krieg "If you are not back in a day I will send the dragoness to the dungeons, clear?"

"Yes." Krieg said firmly.

With that he was led out by Zaak and Laciter. As they took flight a strong tailwind helped them along '_I guess that's why these two wind dragons need to go with me._' Krieg thought to himself as he flew faster than he ever did before.

xXx

Spyro slowly opened his eyes as he awoke the next morning. Once again he was forced to attend another feast and retell his adventure with Cynder. He really hoped it was the last time he had to do so.

He lazily got up and stretched to rid himself of his stiffness. He slumped over to his balcony where he got an amazing view of the city. Next to his own room was Cynders'.

After lingering on that spot for a little while more he felt a rumbling somewhere inside of him. He instantly knew what it meant and took off in the direction of the city's cafeteria.

As he flew over the dragon city he saw few dragons on the streets. At the feast the previous night Spyro estimated there to be about 20 dragons, some of which were still injured but mostly recovered thanks to the Spirit Gems. To his dismay he only saw around 4 or 5 dragons his age.

As Spyro arrived at the cafeteria he received similar treatment from the dragons as he got from the cheetahs. He was expecting this of course.

"Hello Master Spyro!" Beamed a mole from behind the counter "What can I get for you?"

"Umm, do you have any meat? Raw preferably." Spyro asked the small creature.

"Right away Master Spyro!" Said the mole as he scurried to the back of the room.

Spyro looked around for an open table. When he finally found one he walked towards it and awaited his meal.

"Good morning young dragon." Spyro spun around to find the source of the voice as none other than the Guardian of Earth.

"Good morning Terrador." Greeted Spyro "How are you?"

"I have been better young dragon; I have come here to summon you to a very urgent meeting. The guardians need to talk to you, Cynder is already there." Terrador informed the purple dragon.

Upon mention of her name Spyro was ready to go there now, but he was stopped by Terrador "Eat first Spyro, you will need your energy.y" Terrador said as he gestured towards a mole approaching them with a platter of meat.

"I hope you enjoy your meal Master Spyro!" The mole said as he hastily scurried away.

Spyro devoured his meal, eager to follow the Earth Guardian awaiting him.

Spyro finally arrived at his destination and upon entering he was met with the faces of Cyril the Ice Guardian, Volteer the Electricity Guardian, Prowlus the Cheetah Chief, Cynder and 3 dragons he did not know. He smiled at her as he came to a stop in the middle of the room, a gesture that she happily returned.

"Hello young Spyro! I trust the festive feasting of the previous evening was much to your delight and enjoyment, causing pride and a sense of-" Volteer started.

"I am sure he did Volteer." Cyril interrupted the excited Electricity Guardian "I am afraid we must make haste, we have no time to spare for formalities."

"What's this about?" Spyro asked, he was very curious as to what would cause the Guardians to call him and Cynder into a meeting so soon after they arrived.

"I am afraid Cyril is right" Terrador said "Spyro, I know you and Cynder just got back from a very exhausting journey, but you are needed once more. Krieg here has just returned from the eastern settlement along with these two wind dragons Zaak" he gestured to the white dragon with the pale yellow underbelly "and Laciter" he repeated his gesture at the other white dragon.

"We were sent to retrieve a Guardian to confirm Krieg and his partner Megan's words." Zaak explained "Unfortunately it is critical that the Guardians remain here, therefore we need you and Cynder to accompany us to vouch for these dragons"

"We are in a hurry, we need to leave as soon as possible, immediately if that is possible" Laciter added.

Spyro looked towards Cynder with worry in his eyes "I am ready to go now, but Cynder can stay if she wants to"

Cynder looked back at him. She knew what he meant, she was glad that he was worried about her "Not a chance Spyro, you and I both know that trouble follows you wherever you go. I need to look after you and we both know that" she turned to the other 3 dragons "I am ready to go now." Cynder stated with deterimation.

Spyro was relieved that he would not have to venture into the unknown by himself. He knew he could count on Cynder. At that moment he remembered he had something he wanted to ask her. He cursed himself for forgetting something so important.

"Then we leave now" Krieg said hastily. He was by no means looking forward to another 6 hours of accelerated flight, but he knew Megan would suffer if he did not hurry back.

As he said that the 5 dragons left the building and took to the skies. The moment they were high enough a strong tailwind hit them and they started flying much faster and using much less energy due to updrafts helping them from time to time.

xXx

"Flame! Ember!" came the shout of a certain energetic earth dragon "You guys have to come with me! Michael overheard something amazing last night!" Sion practically jumped around with enthusiasm.

"Uhhh, okay." Flame said not nearly as eagerly as his green friend.

"What did he hear?" Ember asked curiously.

Sion grinned at the pink dragoness "I'll let Michael tell you, now hurry up! Darman is already there!" Sion then darted away from the 2 confused fire dragons.

"That guy has way too much energy." Flame mumbled.

"Aww let the guy have some fun" Ember said as she nudged him on "Hurry up, I want to hear what Michael heard."

The sudden contact of their scales caused Flame to blush slightly as he started walking "I-I'm going I'm going! Stop pushing me!"

"Hmhm, you don't like it when I touch you?" Ember teased her oh-so-obvious friend.

Flame had no answer to those words other than to add another layer of red to his blush.

After many twists and turns they eventually found the three dragons they were looking for at their usual meeting place.

"Finally!" Sion called "You two are so slow!"

"Are not! You just sprinted at full speed!" Flame retorted.

"Leave them be Sion, we all know the _real_ reason they took so long." Said a voice belonging to a green dragon. At first glance he looks like a normal earth dragon with green scales. But if you looked at his chest or horns you will find quite the strange sight. His underbelly, horns and tail blade were all a dark blue color. His horns are angled slightly, making them look like Spyro's. His tail ended in a sharp spade form.

Flame recalled his previous contact with the pink dragoness and a blush rivaling the one he had minutes ago spread across his face "Shut it Michael!" Flame shot back.

"What did you want to tell us?" Ember asked, not at all phased by the oddly colored dragon's words.

"Well it's about something I heard my dad discuss with Axen." Michael began "I was just wandering around while looking for something to do when I saw my dad fly overhead with Zaak and Laciter. I followed them to hear when the next hunting trip was. When I saw him land at Axens hut I hid behind the corner to wait for him to finish."

"I don't see how a hunting trip could be this interesting." Flame muttered.

"He's getting to the good part, just wait a little bit." Darman told his fire breathing friend.

"Anyway, it's not the hunting trip that was so amazing, it's what I overheard." Michael continued while now having the full attention of Flame and Ember "Zaak and Laciter set out with a fire dragon to get one of the Guardians from Warfang! One of the actual Guardians of the Elements is coming here!"

"That…That's amazing!" Ember shouted out of excitement.

"Wow, to think I might be able to meet Ignitus, the greatest fire dragon of his generation.." Flame said clearly in awe.

"It gets better hothead!" Sion said, amused by the expression on Flames' face "We're sneaking out to meet with them before they enter here. Do you really think we'll be able to even talk to the Guardian once he enters here?"

"I suppose not, but when do you suppose they'll be here? And in what direction will they come from?" asked Flame worried that he might miss the chance to meet his idol.

"There is only one entrance to this place, so they will have to go by there" Darman explained "We'll have to wait and hide nearby since Zaak and Laciter will just chase us away if they spot us. We'll need to talk to the Guardian when those 2 are away from him for long enough."

"Then what are we wasting time here for? Let's go!" Sion said excitedly as he ran off.

"W-Wait for us!" Darman yelled after him.

xXx

"This is taking sooooo long!" Said a childish voice from a cavern draped in shadows "I am bored out of my skul! I'd rather be slumbering again than to suffer like this…" the female voice continued.

"It hasn't even been a week Flake, just calm down. Even if the Elementals have been awakened like you claimed they have, it will still take them long to awaken their brethrens and even longer to find us." said a ever bored voice.

"Shut it Thundron!" the Corrupted Ice Guardian known as Flake snapped at the Corrupted Electricity Guardian "I can feel that they are awake! You know how it feels when they arise."

"You two are beginning to annoy me." said a harsh voice from a scythe-tail-tipped dragon "Shut up before I make you."

"S-Sorry Appolonir!" Flake hastily apologized to the Corrupted Fire Guardian.

"Clayf, your Elementals will need to be awoken next, have you felt anything yet?" Thundron asked still as bored as ever.

"No not yet. It annoys me to great lengths but I think Malefor might be intervening with the progress of the Ice Elementals." said the deep voice of the Corrupted Earth Guardian.

"We might have to find a for one of us to get out of here and directly help the Elementals" Appolonir thought out loud "Flake, since you appear the least threatening-"

"Hey!" Flake shouted indignantly.

"-you will have to best chance at blending in with the general dragon populous." Appolonir continued as if he were never interrupted.

"That's a great idea and all big guy, but how do you suppose we do that?" Thundron asked as if he just woke up.

"The way I see it the Guardians built this place to prevent us from recovering any energy at all." Appolonir explained "But they aren't able to stop the burst of power we get when the Elementals awaken. This place is likely designed to trap dragons with Dark energies. Since Flake is still young her power is still developing, so draining her completely might leave her without an element for a while but she will recover."

"Then she'll be able to assist the Elementals." Claf continued "If I were to receive the temporary power boost I will be able to get her out of here, but she will be vulnerable to Malefor's forces for quite some time"

"Then how will I survive long enough to even give my aid?" Flake asked curiously.

"Head to Warfang and tell them you are a refugee from the war who lost your parents in a raid by the Dark Army." Clayf explained.

"This will never work ya know." Thundron added helpfully.

"What other choice do we have? If we wait here it could be years until we are freed." Appolonir said "Flake, once we do this we will fall back to our slumber. We will be drained for all we are worth, do not prolong the sleep longer than it has to. Understood?" Appolonir asked in a evil tone.

"Y-Yes" Flake said while scared to death at the edge his words carried "So I am to head to Warfang while avoiding the Dark Army without the use of my powers. Recover there until I am fit enough to aid the Elementals and then awaken you all from yet another slumber? Seems doable…"

"That is correct. Do not rush your recovery; it could take weeks, even months, before you are ready. Now we wait for the Earth Elementals to awaken." Clayf said as he lay down.

xXx

Krieg was beginning to feel the toll of flying for nearly 2 days straight, his determination to help Megan never faltered, but his body could not keep up for much longer and he knew it.

"Zaak." he called out to the white dragon.

He turned his head in his direction "Yes?"

"I know we are in a rush to get back but I am exhausted, could we take a short break when we approach the caves?"

"I do not see any harm in that Zaak." Laciter said "We will enter the caves and tell Axen that you are here and we will come back to get you after you rested a bit."

"Sorry for being a bother." Krieg apologized.

"It's understandable." Zaak said as he waved it off "You 2 should also wait with him while we discuss what the Guardians told us with our chief."

"Fine with me." Spyro said.

"Good, the mountains are just ahead, there is a clearing near a small river branching from the Silver River, you can rest there." Zaak said as he pointed to said location.

With a quick 'thanks', Spyro, Cynder and Krieg descended there to allow their lost energy to replenish.

"I don't think you had any breakfast, I'll go hunt for some food." Spyro offered the exhausted fire dragon.

"I'll go too." Cynder added.

"Thank you, but I will be fine. Do not waste more time on me." Krieg said as he took a drink from the river.

"Nonsense! I am also hungry. Be back in a bit, come on Cynder!" Before the fire dragon had a chance to voice his argument they were gone.

xXx

"Look! Here comes Zaak and Laciter!" Sion said urgently "Hide!"

The five young dragons swiftly hid from view as the 2 wind dragons passed them.

"The Guardian is not with them?" remarked Darman sadly.

"Maybe he had to rest, I bet they fought with some of the Dark Army on their way here!" Flame said excitedly.

"What are we still doing here then? Let's go find him!" Michael said and all 5 of them started searching in the direction the 2 wind dragons came from.

After about 10 minutes of fruitless search a voice came from close by.

"Ha! Good job! You actually caught it" said an unknown dragoness.

"I think it came from that direction" Ember whispered as she pointed at some bushes.

"Of course I did Cynder! Did you think I am that bad at hunting?" came a new voice, however at those words all 5 of them froze in fear.

"C-Cynder? The Terror of the Skies?" Ember said in a voice trembling with fear.

"What is that monster doing this close to our home?" Darman said in an equal amount of fear.

"She must be planning to invade us. It sounds like there are only 2 of them. We can take them, let's sneak up on them to get the drop on them." said Sion. His voice was filled with more rage than fear '_She will die for what she did to her!_'

"Ember, I want you to look for the Guardian, Darman go with her and keep her safe." Flame said sternly, leaving no room for argument.

They both nodded in understanding and walked away from the fast approaching fight.

"Well you weren't able to even stand on your own a few days ago, so yes, I was not expacting this." she teased the purple scaled dragon.

"Whatever, let's get back to the- Hey what's that?" Spyro interrupted himself as he approached a rustling bush.

'_Damn! He saw me!_' Michael thought bitterly to himself '_and he's purple, the only purple dragon I know of is..._' His thoughts trailed off as he was blindsided by a new fear '_Malefor!_'

Michael was shivering with fear now; he has heard tales of the overwhelming power of Malefor. He knew they stood no chance against this opponent.

Not very far away from Michael, Flame and Sion were having similar thoughts "I will take on the Terror of the Skies, you help Michael fight Malefor, with any luck we can keep them busy long enough for Ember and Darman to find the Guardian." Sion said softly as he glared at the monster that killed his mother and scarred his father.

"I hope you know what you're doing. But if we die, we die knowing we did so protecting our home" Flame stated with determination.

Spyro was wondering what could be the cause of the bush shaking like it was '_Must be another rabbit caught in it or something. Easy catch at least!_' Spyro thought as he inwardly smiled at his own luck.

However that soon changed when a stream of water shot from the bush, freezing anything it hit. He quickly rolled to the side, evading the freezing attack "Look out behind you!" shouted Cynder from somewhere to his left.

He barely had any time to respond when he was jumped by a red dragon.

"Sion now!" shouted the blood red dragon on top of him.

Cynder quickly swung in the direction that the red dragon looked at. Out of the bushes burst a grass green scaled dragon. He was slightly larger than the red one on top of Spyro.

"You will not invade our home you damn murderers!" Shouted the green dragon she assumed was Sion.

"Sion! Don't rush her! You know she is dangerous!" Shouted a second green scaled dragon emerging from the frozen area.

"I don't care! Just kill Malefor before he gets up!" Sion shouted back.

"Malefor? You think I'm Malefor?" Spyro said in disbelief as he blocked a strike from the dragon on top of him "Please! Wait! There's a huge misunderstanding! I am not Malefor!" Spyro shouted as he pushed the red dragon off of him.

"Haha sure you aren't!" Said the red dragon in a very sarcastic voice "And I am sure that thing isn't the Terror of the Skies!" he practically spat out the last few words.

Cynder sent an incoming earth missile off course with a gust of wind, making it miss by a mile "Give us a chance to explain, we aren't here to fight you" Cynder said desperately to the enraged earth dragon.

"Like you gave my mother a chance?!" Sion shouted as he hit her with a pillar of earth from below.

"Cynder!" Spyro shouted in concern "They won't listen to reason, we'll need to beat them to make the talk to us!" Spyro said as he dodged another stream of freezing water.

"Michael you need to stop doing that, you won't be able to stand for much longer if you keep that up." Flame said to his fighting partner next to him, careful not to let their adversary hear him.

"I know but if we don't end this soon they will destroy us." Michael retorted.

"Just stick to your earth element until you get a clear shot." Flame said before leaping at the purple dragon, talons covered in flames.

Cynder knew this would not be a hard fight, the green dragon she was facing was sluggish and his actions filled with anger. However Cynder could not find it in herself to fight this dragon '_I killed his mother, I put him through enough already. I'll just let him exhaust himself_'

Spyro jumped in the air to avoid the incredibly hot talons coming his way. As he jumped up and let the fire dragon pass beneath him a pillar of earth rose up in front of the fire dragon, giving him a surface to use his momentum to jump back at the vulnerable purple dragon.

Spyro was caught completely off guard by the unexpected maneuver "Gah!" he cried out in pain as the flaming talons penetrated his back, causing him extreme pain.

Spyro retaliated by hitting the red dragon in the side of the head with his tail, sending him crashing to the ground. Spyro knew he would have to use his elements if he wanted to survive this as he had not recovered to 100% yet.

He focused on the ice within him, forcing it to gather into a raging storm within his body. Seconds later Spyro opened his maw to unleash the cold and put the fire dragon out of the fight. But all that came was a cold breeze.

'_What the? Damn! My powers must have been more exhausted than I thought!_' Spyro berated himself for not discovering such a crucial flaw sooner.

Flame looked at the purple dragon in bewilderment, unsure of what to make of the cold wind that just hit him '_I was sure he was going to freeze me_'

As the purple dragon landed he was rushed from 2 sides. As the 2 dragons got close enough Spyro spun around, catching the approaching earth and ice dragon painfully on the leg with his tail. He was not fast enough to block or avoid the powerful strike the fire dragon gave him, sending them tumbling over each other.

Out of pure desperation Spyro gathered all the fire he could muster to the back of his throat hoping to atleast unleash a small jet of flames to get the fire dragon off of him. To his dismay all that came out was thick, black smoke.

The temporary distraction was all he needed to get out of the tumble he was sure to lose. He looked over to the dragon that he hit earlier in the leg and saw that he was unable to get up due to the injury.

Meanwhile Cynder was still avoiding the bezerking earth dragon.

"Stop mocking me you coward!" Sion bellowed in rage as yet another earth spike missed the Terror of the Skies "Fight back!"

"No, I have done enough to you." Cynder said in a trembling voice.

Sion did not miss the tone of regret in her voice or the building tears in her eyes, but he knew it was just a trick to get him to stop attacking so she could finish the fight.

Sion continued his relentless onslaught of attacks, never taking his eyes off of his target. But when she jumped back to put space between them he dared a glance at the 2 fighting Malefor. His heart stopped at what he saw. Michael was lying motionless on the ground behind Flame with a bloody face.

Sion looked at the purple dragon they were fighting, he was also covered in blood, much more than Flame. Then he saw red as he charged at the purple dragon facing away from him.

"Spyro! Look out!" Cynder shouted, desperately trying to catch the dragon intent on killing Spyro. That proved to be her undoing. The once motionless green dragon lifted his head and made a pillar of earth rise directly from beneath Cynder, causing it to impale her on the side.

Cynder gave a cry of pain. Spyro quickly swung around to help Cynder. When he looked away from the fire dragon he was met with painful cut on his side by the incoming earth dragon. Spyro was thrown back by the force of the impact, sending him towards the fire dragon.

Flame saw his chance to kill the Dark Master, to end the war. He gathered as much fire as he possibly could, focusing it into the most intense jet of flames he ever made. He opened his maw, unleashing the built up fire in a stream of rock melting fire directly towards Spyro.

Spyro saw his end rapidly approaching him. Not knowing what else to do he tried frantically to use an ability he knew he lost after defeating Gaul. He forced his ability outward, slowing time down to a near standstill. Spyro quickly tried to dodge his impending doom, but he was only able to slow time down for less than a second before he lost control over it.

'_Guess this is the end._' Spyro thought as he started feeling the heat of the approaching inferno.

"Flame stop!" came a shout of panic before he was tackled to the ground.

Spyro felt a very strange yet strong force pulling him quickly out of the way towards a dark blue colored dragon with thick jet black lines on his body.

Cynder was scooped up by a much larger fire dragon, taking her away from the still enraged earth dragon.

"He's not Malefor!" said the dragoness pinning him down.

"What are you talking about?! He's a purple dragon! Who else could he be?" Flame retorted.

"He's the one the Guardians sent to talk to Axen, so is the one we thought is the Terror of the Skies!" Those words from Ember seemed to slightly calm down the battle ready dragon.

"Are you ok?" asked a concerned voice above Spyro. It was the dragon that Spyro believed saved him. He lifted his head to get a better look at him. The first thing Spyro noticed about this dragon was that the black lines on his body were slowly becoming smaller.

"Not really" he said as he clenched his teeth "How's Cynder?"

"The dragoness? Your friend Krieg is taking care of her" The blue dragon told him.

Finally processing what was happening, Sion realized the one he hated the most in the world has just been saved by a large fire dragon, making him an enemy as well. He charged as fast as he could towards the injured dragoness, ready to end her life.

Before he reached them he was hit by a strong gust of wind, sending him far to the side. He looked towards the direction of the attack and saw 2 very angry looking wind dragons rushing towards the fight.

"What are you doing! The enemy of all dragons is right there! We can kill her easily!" Sion shouted.

"You insolent hatchling! They are the ones we brought with us from Warfang, and you greet them by attacking them!" Zaak said as he snarled at the earth dragon "They are not our enemies, they are here to talk with Axen!"

Sion could not believe what he was hearing, they were about to allow the Terror of the Skies into their home!

He looked toward Michael and saw Ember with him, helping him up.

"Stop it Sion, I don't think that Cynder is the same Cynder that leads the raids on the dragon settlements, I don't even think that purple dragon is Malefor." Flame said to calm his friend down.

Sion looked at the downed black dragoness '_She didn't even try to attack me I was so blinded by rage that I couldn'\t even see that!_' he thought bitterly to himself.

Now guilt started eating away at him. He had just attacked an innocent dragoness that didn't even try to fight back. He ruthlessly attacked the purple dragon out of rage. What if he had killed one of them?

"She's still breathing, but she's hurt badly." Krieg said to the wind dragons.

"Put them on our backs, we need to get them to the infirmary." said Laciter as he went over to the wounded purple dragon.

"You five come with us, when we get to the settlement Axen will know of what you did." said Zaak angrily.

The 5 dragons hung their heads in shame, silently following the wind dragons. Michael was being supported by 2 of his friends as his leg wound prevented him from walking on his own.

xXx

**A/N**

**Now before the flaming begins about Spyro not having is powers let me explain. After his fight with Cynder in A New Beginning he lost his powers from exhaustion. Now correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that pulling the world back together is probably a lot more straining.**

**As for the new characters, Michael is an OC sent to me by MurasakiKuroAkai. Personally I love writing him because he loves to tease meant-to-be couples even more than Cynder and Ember love to tease the dragons closest to them.**

**Lastly, Clayf and Appolonir belong Xerneas. But for now they won't be playing a major role in the story.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

**Again, no flames please. Spyro was very nearly killed by them, so give the guy some time to recover ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**I am very sorry for having this update come out this late! This week I just had more stuff going on than last week.**

**I forgot this in the previous chapter (again), so here it is: I do NOT own The Legend of Spyro, any characters therein, the plot, the world and so forth.**

**I won't keep you held up any longer, enjoy the chapter!**

xXxXxXxXxXx

It was early in the evening by the time 2 dragons and 2 cheetahs finally saw Warfang. Hunter was anxious to get to the Dragon City to show the Guardians a replica of the strange obelisk they found 2 days ago but failed to find again the following day.

What bothered Hunter even more was the fact that he was unable to stop thinking of the dream he had after the day he touched the obelisk. He remembered it vividly, every detail as clear as day. The intensity of the strange glows, the color of the glows, the way the glows absorbed the attacks of the dragons and the bright flash that shook him from his dream.

'_It must have something to do with that obelisk, I'm sure of it._' Hunter now had 2 things he had to discuss with the Guardians. He needed answers.

Of course he never lost focus while searching for his purple friend, but to his dismay he was unable to find him. Even though he hoped to find him on his first search he knew it was very unlikely, after all; he had spent 3 years searching for him last time.

As they arrived at the gate they were met by a mole awaiting their return "Master Terrador is expecting you" the mole said as he gestured the group to follow him.

As they traveled through the streets of Warfang, Hunter was wondering how to word his concerns. He also knew he would have to repeat them as Prowlus was most likely back in the village as he was needed there more than in Warfang.

Eventually they reached the usual meeting place, a grand building adorned with the banners of numerous elements with golden trims.

As they entered the building they found Terrador and Volteer within the room.

"Welcome back Hunter, I presume you were unable to locate Spyro?" Terrador asked the cheetah warrior.

"No, we could not find him." answered Hunter with dismay.

"Well that is to be expected considering the young ones have returned a day ago and have already embarked on yet another quest of urgent, vital importance." Volteer said.

"Unfortunately Ignitus did not make it." Terrador added sadly.

Needless to say, Hunter was quite shocked and relieved at the same time by the news "I am relieved to hear they made it back safely and I am sorry to hear about the loss of Ignitus." Hunter said as he felt conflicting emotions of happiness and sadness colliding within him "If I may ask, what was so urgent that they were forced to leave so soon after returning to Warfang?"

"They were required to travel to the eastern settlement to convince the dragons there that the war is over and get them to move here." Terrador answered.

"Why? Did Megan and Krieg fail to do so?" Hunter asked as he recalled the 2 fire dragons being sent there.

"Yes, but with good reason." Terrador explained "They have been in hiding for several years, fearing that one day Malefor will find them. So it would seem sudden if two dragons claiming to be from Warfang said the war was over without solid proof, there were bound to be suspicions."

"If you look at it like that I suppose you have a point, I hope Spyro is successful then." Hunter said as he rummaged through his pouch.

He finally found what he was looking for, it was the small-scale replica of the vanishing obelisk they found a few days ago "I have a question, do you know what this is?" Hunter asked as he held the object up to the Guardians "It also had a small glowing crystal within it and the real one was slightly larger than me."

Terrador took the tiny object from Hunter. He examined it closely for several minutes "I do not know what this is." Terrador stated "Volteer, do you recognize this object?"

Volteer took the strange stone from Terrador as he too examined it for several minutes "I am afraid I am unfamiliar with this particular object, perhaps Cyril might contribute some answers to our inquiry?" Volteer said as he looked toward the mole that led Hunter's group to them "Please go find Cyril, we require his presence."

"Right away sir." The mole said as he saluted the Electricity Guardian.

"So tell us Hunter, where did you find this object?" Terrador asked as the mole scurried away to fetch Cyril.

"We found it during an evening hunt, near the Silver River." Hunter paused before continuing "However you won't find it there anymore. The next morning I went back there with Tremble. The obelisk was gone along with any traces of it ever being there or signs that anyone other than us were there."

"That is strange…" Terrador thought out loud "Tremble."

"Yes sir?" Tremble said as he prepared to answer Terrador's question.

"Did you find any underground tunnels, dents or even something small like the fading tell tale signs of prints etched into the ground?"

"No sir, only the prints we left on the ground from the previous day remained in the area" Tremble answered as he recalled what he saw that morning.

"Ah Hunter! Welcome back!" Came a new voice "I am happy to inform you that Spyro has already returned, no need for another three year search." Cyril said as he stepped into the room.

"We already informed him of recent developments before you graced us with your presence." Volteer sarcastically told the Ice Guardian "However we require your assistance in identifying a strange object Hunter and his group found."

He held out his paw, offering the replica to Cyril "It looks more or less like that, but it was slightly larger than me and it had a glowing crystal in the middle of that hole." Hunter informed the new arrival.

Unlike the previous Guardians; Cyril got a concerned frown on his face moments after he saw the object "Where did you find this?"

Hunter retold him of where they found it and how it was gone the next morning along with all signs that it ever was there.

"This... If what you told me is the truth, we are far from an era of peace" Cyril said deathly serious.

"Why? What object is that?" Terrador asked. He knew Cyril only got this serious when something is terribly wrong.

"How could you not recognize this? Have you forgotten the paintings and stories told to us by our mentors? I did not expect this from either of you." Cyril said as he eyed the other 2 Guardians "That is the Obelisk Of Earth, it contains the essence of the Earth Elementals."

Both Terrador and Volteers eyes widened upon the revelation "How is this possible?" Terrador asked in his state of shock "The Elementals were sealed away along with the Corrupted Guardians!"

"The only way the Obelisk Of Earth could appear is if…Oh no…" Volteer trailed off.

"What are these Elementals?" Hunter asked as he knew he was missing something.

Cyril looked at the cheetah warrior as he spoke "Get comfortable Hunter, and listen closely as what we are about to tell you must be relayed to Prowlus as soon as possible."

Hunter then gave his full undivided attention to the 3 Guardians.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Somewhere in an underground cave Spyro was slowly regaining consciousness. He felt sore all over his body. As he started realizing what was going on he remembered Cynder being impaled by a pillar of earth '_Cynder!_'

He frantically tried to get up, but found his legs giving him the same result as they did after he awoke from his fight with Malefor "Hey! He's awake!" said a voice from somewhere within the room he was resting in "Don't try to stand up yet, you were badly hurt." The voice said again.

As he looked up he saw a pink dragoness followed by 3 dragons he recognized quickly. Behind her walking towards him were a red scaled dragon, one he remembered very nearly ending his life, a dark blue scaled one with jet black line over his body '_I think he was the one who somehow pulled me away from that inferno_' Spyro thought as he remembered that dragon standing over him before he lost consciousness. Lastly he saw a light green scaled dragon. He remembered him as the one who fought Cynder.

As he regained more and more awareness he started looking around the room. To his relief he found Cynder sleeping on another pile of cushions not far from him. As he looked around further he found the green scaled dragon with the blue horns still fast asleep.

"How are you feeling?" The pink dragoness asked him as they got close to him.

"I've been better." Spyro grumbled "How's Cynder doing?"

"Better than you I'm sure." Cynder said as she opened her eyelids, her sleep disturbed by the chatting dragons. As Spyro saw her waking up he felt hugely relieved.

"We're sorry for attacking you like that." The green dragon said with a guilty look on his face "When we heard you call the black dragoness Cynder we assumed she was the Terror of the Skies."

"And when we saw you were purple we assumed you were Malefor as we heard the Dark Master was a purple dragon." The red dragon explained "We jumped to conclusions. We are very sorry for what we did."

Spyro looked at them for a short while before an understanding smile spread across his muzzle "We are both still alive, so no harm done." Spyro said, more relieved that Cynder was still alive than himself "My name is Spyro, and as you probably gathered she is Cynder"

"Hi." Cynder said, trusting Spyro's judgment.

"I'm Ember." The pink dragoness said with a smile "This is Darman." she gestured to the dark blue dragon.

"H-Hi." The dragon named Darman greeted shyly.

"My name is Flame." The red scaled dragon introduced himself.

"I'm Sion, and the one lying in the bed is Michael." The light green scaled dragon said.

"Nice to meet you all." Spyro said with his smile still present "And no need to worry about attacking us, I probably would have done the same in your position. You only defended your home right?"

"Y-Yes, we thought you were going to attack us." Ember told them.

"What are you doing in here?" Said a yellow scaled dragoness "The patients have not recovered yet! Out out out!" She said as she shoo'd them out.

"We'll talk to you later!" Shouted Spyro to the departing dragons.

"You two! Back to sleep, you have not recovered enough yet!" The yellow dragoness scolded.

Soon after Spyro and Cynder feigned sleep the nurse left. When she was gone Cynder went to the door to make sure nobody could hear them talk.

When she was sure nobody would hear them she walked to where Spyro is "Spyro, what should we do about those five?" Cynder asked with a deeply saddened voice "That green one, Sion, told me that Cynder killed his mother, how am I supposed to tell him that was me?"

Spyro looked at Cynder with concern "You don't have to tell him that. If you want I could tell him and explain everything to him."

"I wish it were that easy Spyro, but he has to hear it from me." Cynder said while tears were building up in her eyes "Would you…Would you please just be there with me when I tell him? I really need you to support me…please."

"I told you already Cynder, I'm there for you" Spyro told Cynder sincerely "You aren't alone anymore, of course I'll go with you."

"Thank you Spyro, I'm really glad I met you…" Cynder said with tears now flowing down her face "Could I lay with you? Just for a bit."

Spyro was not expecting this question, but he knew that she needed somebody to comfort her right now "Sure, Cynder"

For the remainder of that hour Cynder stayed with Spyro, taking comfort in his presence. She didn't know why but he made her feel safe, comfortable and happy merely by being close to him.

"Hmmmhh…" both Spyro and Cynder looked up to find the source of the sound. They found it to be Michael waking up from his sleep.

Cynder got up from her resting spot and slowly walked towards the injured green scaled dragon.

As Michael opened his eyes he was met with the face of a black dragoness, causing him to nearly jump in surprise.

"You're awake?" Cynder asked the waking dragon.

"Y-Yes, but don't worry about me!" He stammered "I am so sorry for hurting you! I didn-"

"No need to worry about it, your friends already explained everything and we forgave you." Cynder explained.

"We would have done the same if we were in your position." Spyro added.

"Regardless, I'm sorry for acting so rash." Michael apologized "Would you mind if I did something to make it up to you?"

Cynder looked quizzically at him "What would that be?"

"I'll show you, just go lie down near…umm…" He trailed off.

"Spyro, and that's Cynder as you already know." Spyro informed him.

"Thanks Spyro" He said with a smile "Please go lie down next to Spyro." Michael told Cynder.

Cynder slowly walked over towards Spyro, doing as the strangely colored dragon instructed her to do. When she was next to Spyro, Michael walked towards them with a slight limp, making Spyro a bit guilty.

"Just don't move." He told them soothingly.

He put both of his paws over Cynder's wound caused by his earth pillar. A small drop of water appeared between his paws. Very slowly the drop got bigger and bigger until it was large enough to cover the wound. Michael then pressed the small blob of water onto the wound, making Cynder wince at the stinging pain it caused.

The pain lasted for next minute before it was replaced with a cool, soothing feeling "There, now your turn Spyro." He told the purple dragon.

"What did you just do?" Cynder asked as she studied the now painless wound.

"It's an ability I was born with." Michael started to explain "I am able to heal small wounds and accelerate the regeneration of both internal and external wounds. I am also able to numb the pain by cooling down the water I use."

"That's…an incredible ability…" Spyro said in awe.

"It's not able to fully heal larger wounds without the help of Red Spirit Gems." Michael explained further.

"It's still an amazing ability to have." Cynder assured him "And thanks for using it to heal me."

"It's the least I could do after I caused the injury." Michael told her sheepishly "Now let's get started with you Spyro."

After healing many of the small scratches, numbing the burnt areas from Flame's attack and treating the larger lacerations on his back he stepped back with a smile "All done!" He happily exclaimed.

"That feels much better, thanks!" Spyro told him with a grateful grin "But why did you let Cynder lie down here instead of on her own cushions?" '_Not that I'm complaining_' he mentally added.

"Well mainly because you two look cute together." Michael mentally complimented himself when he saw a blush adorning both his victims faces "That and when I woke up I saw you two lying next to each other."

"Uhh, yeah…" Spyro said while trying to hide his blush "Let's get back to sleep before that nurse gets back!" He hastily added.

"Whatever you say Spyro." Michael told him sarcastically.

At that all 3 dragons present went to their cushions to sleep, allowing their recently treated wounds to heal.

xXxXxXxXxXx

In the waiting room of the infirmary 4 dragons were waiting to be allowed to enter the room where 3 other dragons were recovering. Since the attack they have been scolded harshly by Axen. Even if he hadn't force them to apologize to Spyro and Cynder they would have done it anyway.

They were waiting impatiently, waiting for the nurse to allow them to enter the room. They were all ashamed at themselves because of their actions. Even Ember and Darman felt ashamed for being a part of it, even if they hadn't fought the two dragons.

Spyro and Cynder forgave them, that much they knew, but they have yet to forgive themselves. Flame felt the worst of the lot. If Darman did not arrive when he did then Spyro would most likely not be alive right now.

After they were chased from the room they sat in silence for a long time, until Sion decided to break the silence "How do you think they are doing?" He asked Flame, guilt still clinging stubbornly to his voice.

"I don't know…they seemed fine when we were there." He told his normally energetic friend.

"Maybe Michael could help heal them?" Darman suggested "It may not be much, but every bit helps right?"

"Even if he did offer to do it I doubt they would accept it, he did try to kill them both only hours ago after all." Flame said dismayed.

"You four." The same dragoness that chased them out called them "You are allowed to go see them, but don't take too long. They still have to recover."

They eagerly got up and went to the three recovering dragons. Upon entering the room they were met with a sight that nearly caused them to laugh.

"Say that again water boy?" A black dragoness said from on top of a green scaled dragon.

"Owowowww!" The green dragon moaned as the dragoness pressed down with all her weight onto him "What did I say? I just pointed out a fact!"

Cynder was currently pinning Michael beneath her, a furious blush on both her and Spyro's faces. Flame, Ember, Sion and Darman knew from that what their friend did to cause the attack on him.

Cynder turned her head towards the door before she continued speaking to the dragon she had at her mercy "I swear I will choke you to death if you say something like that again." She said only half-joking.

"Good to see you recovered enough to be able to fight already." Flame said as they entered the room.

"Michael what did you say this time?" Ember asked her blue horned friend.

"I didn't say anything bad!" He protested "I just pointed out that they-"

He was cut short as a small gust of wind knocked him over, yet he felt triumphant when he saw the blush on both the other dragons' faces.

"Just shut up before she kills you." Sion said with his normally happy demeanor returning slightly.

"So worth it." Michael muttered softly as he got up.

"Are you feeling better yet?" Ember asked the two blushing dragons.

"Yeah, we feel much better after Michael used his water ability on us" Spyro admitted.

"You actually trusted Michael to heal you?" Flame said, not completely understanding their trust of the one who fought them not so long ago.

"Well…yeah. Like we said you only attacked us to defend your home right?" Spyro clarified.

"Still..never mind." Flame paused before continuing "What were you sent here for? We thought one of the Guardians would be sent here."

"That was the plan." Cynder said while carefully avoiding Sion's gaze "But Warfang needs them, it's badly damaged from the fight that took place there about a week ago."

"That actually has to do what we came here for, we came here to tell you that the war is over, Malefor is dead and his army has scattered." Spyro said as he looked at the faces of the five young dragons.

"Heh, he must have hit his head harder than we thought." Sion noted out loud "Get back to sleep Spyro, we'll talk when you regained some of your brain cells."

"He's not delusional; in fact he's the one who killed Malefor." Cynder defended Spyro.

"Sorry if we have a hard time believing you…" Flame said "But if he was strong enough to kill the Dark Master, then why couldn't he even beat two young dragons like us?"

"Well I sorta lost my powers…" Spyro admitted sheepishly.

"And he was unable to stand from exhaustion a few days ago." Cynder added.

"But..but then…" Michael trailed off "The Grublings? The Orcs? Even the Terror of the Skies? All gone? Just like that?"

"They must have ran in fear of whatever killed Malefor" Cynder explained. She got sad very quickly as she prepared to tell them something she had no right of keeping from them "But…The Terror of the Skies is not completely gone…"

Spyro knew what was coming next, so he quickly walked towards Cynder, preparing for the worst "The Terror of the Skies is gone actually."

"But that dragoness is me." She admitted as she bowed her head in shame.

"She was controlled by Malefor's influence, her actions were not her own." Spyro added as he kept a close eye on the other dragons.

The returning happiness of Sion instantly got replaced with the same murderous stare he had during the fight "You…You're _that_ Cynder?" He said while baring his teeth.

"Yes." Cynder replied while still staring at the floor.

Sion took a few steps forward, prepared to finish what he started. However Flame and Ember both stepped in front of him to stop him.

"Sion calm down." Flame sternly told the angering dragon "I think we should atleast hear what they have to say."

"Flame's right." Darman supported "Remember how much we regretted attacking them the first time?"

"Fine!" Sion said while snarling at Cynder "One chance!"

Cynder smiled happily. These were the first dragons her age to give her a chance to explain herself, one of them even lost his mother because of her.

She and Spyro then told their story again, this time they weren't annoyed to tell it over again. They told them of how Spyro released Cynder from the grasp of Maelfor and how she helped defeat him afterwards.

"…then we were ordered to come here." Spyro finished "You know the rest of the story from there."

A dead-silence was upon the room. After hearing their story nobody said anything. Flame was especially surprised to hear that the dragon in front of him not only had control over four different elements, but also mastered them to such a degree that he could use the Fury of every one of them.

The silence was finally broken by Sion "I will never forgive you for what you have done." He got up and started walking away "But I can see you changed enough to hopefully not kill innocents again."

Cynder was happy with that. She actually expected him to be as mad at her as he had been when she fought him "I won't, not again." She told him without a trace of a lie in her words.

Sion snorted and left the room.

"I suppose he can't help it, he was affected the worst out of us all." Ember said as she looked at Cynder with concern "We won't blame you for it, if you really have changed as much as you said you have then you deserve a second chance." The rest of the dragons in the room nodded in agreement to the statement.

"Thank you, that's all I ask for" Cynder told the pink dragoness.

"Well now that that's out of the way…" Michael said cheerfully, trying to lift the mood of everyone in the room "I have to ask, how did you two manage to learn so many elements?" He asked Spyro and Cynder.

"Well, I was born with the ability to use them." '_And a few more_' he added mentally, not wanting to reveal that he could use Convexity.

"I was born a wind dragoness, but I retained the ones that Malefor gave me when Spyro saved me." Cynder explained "Now your turn, I can see Sion is an earth dragon and you two are fire dragons…" she gestured to Flame and Ember "…but I have no idea what you two are." Cynder finished as she looked between Michael and Darman.

"Yeah, I'm also quite curious." Spyro added as he looked at Darman "Just before Flame burned me up you pulled me away. I would guess that is the Wind element but that doesn't explain those black lines on your body."

"W-Well…" Darman stammered, not enjoying the attention he was getting "I have no idea what element it is. Axen just calls it the Void Element as I am able to create a type of vacuum that sucks other elements in and I can also pull things towards me with a different type of vacuum." Darman explained.

"That is..unique." Spyro said while looking at the Void Dragon with a strange expression.

"Your turn Michael." Ember said cheerfully.

"Fine." He huffed "I have control over the Earth Element and some variation of the Ice Element." Michael started to explain "I don't know exactly how it works, but I can use water far below freezing temperatures, but it somehow doesn't freeze when I use it."

"Not that I don't enjoy telling you two all about our elements…but didn't you come here to talk with Axen or something?" Flame asked.

"Uhmm, yeah. That reminds me, where is Krieg anyway? I haven't seen him since we woke up." Cynder thought out loud.

"And Megan for that matter." Spyro continued "She is being imprisoned if I remember correctly."

"We should get you two to Axen, can you walk yet?" Ember asked.

"I can, however I think purple boy might need some help." Cynder said with a smug grin.

"Oh very funny Cynder." Spyro said with a glare as he got up.

"Do not worry about that" Krieg said as he stepped into the room "Axen sent me to inform you that he will hear what you have to say tomorrow morning, for now you all must rest."

Before they even had a chance to say anything back a familiar yellow dragoness stepped into the room "Visiting time is over, everyone leave." She told them with some trace of a threat in her words "_Now._"

Not arguing any further they all left Spyro, Cynder and Michael to recover for the night.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Hunter couldn't believe what he just heard. It was sure he was in some sort of nightmare, ready to be woken up at any time and continue his daily routine.

The Guardians have finished their explanation to him about what the stone was and why it was so dangerous.

"_The Obelisk of Earth only appears when the Ice Elementals have been awoken." Cyril told him "It contains the essence of the Earth Elementals. However a powerful magic was cast upon it by the Guardians centuries ago, making that obelisk teleport itself at random at random times."_

"_These Elementals are no small problem…" Cyril continued "They are as big a threat, if not a bigger one, that Malefor."_

"_How could these things be worse than the Dark Master?" Hunter asked, fear present in his voice._

"_One of the main reasons is that these Elementals are controlled by four Corrupted Guardians." Terrador explained "They have been corrupted with dark powers, causing their lifespan to increase incredibly; they could live for thousands of years. Each of them possesses a very strong ability. Unfortunately we have no idea as to what they are."_

"_Go tell Prowlus that Ice Elementals are roaming the lands, searching for the obelisk." Volteer ordered the cheetah warrior._

"_There are multiple types of these Ice Elementals. The ones you must be on the lookout for are the ones with five icicles on their heads." Cyril warned "They have the ability to use Furies better than the strongest ice dragon."_

"_The fastest way to kill them would be by using fire or by targeting the glowing light within their chests." Terrador told him._

Hunter wasted no time. The same evening he heard the news he started a dash towards his village, hoping he would not be too late in warning them.

"_If the Ice Elementals succeed in awakening the Earth Elementals, things will only get harder…" Terrador told him grimly "Once they are awake they will set out for the Electric Elementals and then the Fire Elementals. Should that happen I don't know what we would do."_

Hunter ran through the Hidden Tunnel, he had to convince Prowlus to aid the dragons once again to stop this rising threat.

In his panicked rush he even forgot to tell the Guardians about his dream; however that seemed unimportant at the time.

For the next few hours Hunter ran even with his muscles screaming for rest. When he finally made it to the village he was met by Tro.

"Hunter!" He called out in concern for his fellow tribesman "What happened to you?"

Hunter tried to speak, but his voice was silent.

"Do not speak, rest first." Tro told him as he led Hunter inside "Go to the infirmary, I shall get Prowlus."

Hunter hurried towards the infirmary, receiving medicinal brews to help aid his recovering throat. He kept drinking them until he calmed down enough to lie down and wait for Prowlus to arrive.

After numerous minutes Hunter regained his voice and soon afterwards Prowlus entered the room to speak with him.

"Why have you come back here so suddenly?" The cheetah chief inquired.

"Talk…in…private..." Hunter managed to get out, his throat still sore from his Olympic-like marathon run.

Prowlus trusted Hunter to have a reason to want to speak to him alone, knowing it is important "Very well," Prowlus spoke "Come to my hut once you have recovered sufficiently to speak."

Nodding in understanding, Hunter continued to take the medicinal brews and recovered in the room for a few minutes before hastily heading to where Prowlus was.

He finally arrived at the hut and upon entering found Prowlus sitting alone in the centre of the hut.

"I trust you have urgent news if you ran from Warfang to here?" Prowlus asked, prompting Hunter to speak.

"Yes, the Guardians have discovered a new threat; perhaps even as bad as Malefor…" Hunter told his leader.

Prowlus could not believe what he was hearing. What could be as bad as the Dark Master? "What type of threat is this?"

"The Guardians called them Elementals. There are four types of them, each wielding the power of the four basic elements. They are basically living elements" Hunter informed "As of now only the Ice Elementals are awake, but they are searching for an obelisk which will awaken the Earth Elementals."

"Living elements? How is that even possible?" Prowlus asked skeptically.

"Cyril said they are bound together by an ancient magic. They do not need to eat, sleep or even breathe."

"Do the Guardians know where this obelisk is?"

"No." Hunter said flatly "In fact, nobody does. The Obelisk of Earth is protected by a magic that transports it around the land at certain times, making it near impossible to find."

"Is there any way to kill these apparitions?" Prowlus asked with growing concern.

"Yes, Terrador said the Ice Elementals could be killed by fire or by targeting the glowing energy in their chests." Hunter pointed at his own chest "There are also multiple types of each Elemental, some stronger than the rest…"

Hunter explained everything to Prowlus. He explained their abilities, their appearance, their strengths their weaknesses and about the Corrupted Guardians. At the end Prowlus was pale beneath his fur.

"What do these Corrupted Guardians look like?" Prowlus asked with fear now growing.

"They do not know, they were imprisoned hundreds of years ago."

"That is troubling…" Prowlus trailed off.

"The Guardians also sent me to ask you for help." Hunter told Prowlus after his explanation "These Elementals are only a growing threat as they are now. They must be weeded out before they can reawaken the other Elementals and the Corrupted Guardians."

"How will we do that? Scour the land for the Obelisk of Earth?" Prowlus asked the warrior sitting with him.

"You will have to go to Warfang again to discuss that with the Guardians, but I think that finding the Obelisk of Earth would be our main priority for now." Hunter told his chief "And Prowlus, we will have to increase the security in our village, the Ice Elementals might come here to search for the Obelisk of Earth."

Prowlus nodded "I understand, go get Tro then get some sleep."

"Yes sir." Hunter saluted his chief and left in search of Tro.

xXxXxXxXxXx

The next morning Spyro was awoken by a constant nudging to his side, he immediately knew who was causing the disturbance "Cynder stop that…let me sleep."

"Not a chance purple brain!" Cynder proclaimed cheerfully "It's time for breakfast and I don't feel like going with only Michael for company."

"Hey! I can hear you!" He yelped indignantly.

"If you say so." Cynder said, adding to his frustrations "But Spyro is still coming with us!" She started poking him harder and harder.

"Wow he can really sleep if he wants to." Michael observed "Stand back, let me try something…"

"What are you going to…Ohhhh…" Cynder backed away with her famous evil grin spread across her muzzle as she saw Michael forming a sphere of water forming in his maw.

Michael approached the stirring purple dragon with an evil grin rivaling that of Cynders'. With no warning at all he sprayed the sleeping dragon with a cold stream of water.

"AAAAH!" Spyro yelled as he jumped several feet in the air.

When he calmed down he found two dragons unable to contain their laughter "Great, a male version of Cynder…" he mumbled "Did you _have_ to make it that cold?"

"But then it would be no fun dousing you! Hahaha!" Michael said from his position on the floor.

"Come on purple boy, let's go get something to eat, the walk will dry you." Cynder said as she got her laughter under control.

He reluctantly obeyed as he kept muttering things like 'another Cynder' and 'end of the world' under his breath.

Michael led them through the streets of the settlement in the direction of the cafeteria. The trip didn't last long as it was located only a few minutes away from the infirmary.

As they entered they found it mostly empty as it was still very early. Thanks to that they had no problem finding an open table and there was no line keeping them from their breakfast.

They each got a small slice of meat along with numerous berries and something Spyro couldn't identify.

"Is this edible?" Cynder asked the green dragon "It looks like something you scraped from the walls…"

"That's because it _was_ scraped from the walls." Michael responded "And yes, it is edible. We don't have the luxury of getting our fill from meat alone."

Spyro had no trouble eating the green substance as for most of his life he had eaten much worse things.

Cynder on the other hand did not seem happy to eat something which somewhat resembled thick poison. But she did not want to seem ungrateful, so she ate it anyway, albeit a bit slowly.

"So what's there to do in this place?" Spyro asked in between mouthfuls of food.

"Well…" Michael thought for a moment "There's the arena where we are allowed to train in close combat, no elements allowed though and the academy."

"What about going outside?" Cynder offered "There is much more to do out there, besides attacking visitors of course."

"W-We aren't allowed to go outside…" Michael admitted "Since we always believed the war was still on Axen feared for our safety. Only hunting parties of strong dragons are allowed to venture outside."

"I'm sure that will change once we speak to Axen, which reminds me, when will we speak to him?" Spyro inquired.

"He should be coming here for breakfast soon." As if one queue, a large fire dragon entered the cafeteria, heading straight towards them "Here he comes now." Michael pointed at the approaching dragon.

"Good morning Axen" All three dragons said simultaneously.

As if not hearing their greeting he looked straight at Michael, anger looming within his stare "What are you doing here? Your punishment is still in effect, go clean the gathering tools. _Now_." He barked out at the water-earth hybrid.

"R-Right away sir!" Michael stammered as he sped out of the building.

He turned his icy stare towards Spyro and Cynder "Follow me, you can eat later."

Both dragons obeyed the order and they followed the larger fire dragon towards the building in the center of the settlement. Inside Zaak, Laciter, Krieg and Megan were already awaiting them.

As they stepped inside Axen turned to speak to them "Listen to me well. I only want to hear this story from the purple dragon. I do _not _want to hear anything from the _Terror of the Skies_" he spat out the last few words.

Spyro was about to say something to defend the black dragoness but he was kept silent when she placed a paw on his shoulder.

Spyro did not like Axen at all. He judged Cynder harshly before he even knew who she really was. He forced his growing rage back as he retold his story over once again.

Spyro purposefully retold how Cynder had saved him with great detail. How she faked both their fights, how much she changed and how she helped him defeat Malefor.

To his dismay he had to retell the events at the Ring of Fire and how Ignitus sacrificed himself to save them. Once again he left out the parts where he was overtaken by darkness.

He ended his story with when they returned to Warfang "That's when we were ordered to come here." Spyro finished.

"So the war is no over, the Dark Master is dead and you want us to abandon the safety of the caverns to move there?" Axen asked harshly "I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. I requested a _Guardian_ to confirm this, not some purple hatchling!"

"However I am no fool, I know the legends," Axen continued slightly calmer "I will allow a few families to travel back with you, to confirm your claims. If they live there peacefully for atleast three months I will reconsider relocating to Warfang."

Spyro was at a loss for words. Two of his dragons traveled with him to meet the Guardians, which they no doubt told him about, yet he still doubts him.

"This is my final offer, I shall send ten families with you." Axen sternly told him "The only reason I am even sending them is because both Zaak and Laciter claimed to have seen the three remaining Guardians. I expect them to have an Academy up for the young dragons that will be accompanying you."

"Come on Spyro, Cynder…" Megan spoke "Let's get some breakfast while Axen gets the families ready."

Spyro decided he could do no more here. He followed Megan and Krieg back to the cafeteria.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Terrador was starting to worry now. The final search party has yet to return and he was beginning to suspect why.

It was still early in the morning; he was waiting alone in the usual meeting place of the Guardians. They had much to discuss.

As his worry was starting to turn into impatience he was greeted by a very familiar voice "Hello Terrador, I do hope I am within the designated time of arrival?"

"You are late Volteer, but only by a few minutes…" Terrador tried to look behind the Electricity Guardian to find the final member of the meeting "Where is Cyril?"

"He shall arrive shortly; he was partaking in the daily ritual of breakfast when I located him." Volteer informed the Earth Guardian.

As if on cue the subject of their discussion entered from behind Volteer "There is no need to wait for me. What is this about Terrador?"

"Many things old friend," He released a sigh before continuing "First off I am starting fear for the safety of the group we sent north."

"Indeed. I had the same thoughts…" Cyril offered "We do not know how long the Elementals have been walking among us, so the possibility that they were attacked his very real indeed."

"I would have to say that it may be more than a mere possibility." Volteer added grimly "The Ice Elementals were sealed somewhere within Dante's Freezer. If they were to travel to this continent then their most likely area of entrance would be the coasts."

"If that is true then what should we do about it?" Terrador asked with a frown "We don't have many dragons in the city as it is; even less of them capable of fighting."

"I think our wisest path of action to take would be to send larger search parties to find the Obelisk of Earth and bring it here." Cyril suggested "They are not within their element; they will be at a severe disadvantage fighting without ice. While they search for it we will work to repair the fallen wall in case of an attack."

"I agree with Cyril, however I would strongly advise to re-open the academy." Seeing the shocked expressions on both Terrador and Cyrils' faces Volteer paused before continuing "We must train the new generation of dragons and we must not let the general public catch wind of this, otherwise…"

"…there will be widespread panic…" Terrador finished for Volteer "Are we in agreement to do as such then?"

Both Cyril and Volteer nodded in agreement.

"Good, our next subject is regarding the memorial service of Ignitus." Terrador said as his expression went slightly sadder "Are all the preparations completed?"

Ever since Spyro and Cynder brought the news of their dear friend and great Fire Guardian, they had made plans to honor the sacrifice Ignitus made.

"Most of them are, we are just awaiting the news from Bron." Cyril informed the Guardian of Earth.

"Good, then on to the final subject of this meeting, Spyro's advanced training." As Terrador said those words both Cyril and Volteers' expressions changed.

"Terrador I am still uncomfortable with this." Cyril interjected "I know young Spyro is strong, but he has been fighting for so long, I doubt he has the energy to start so soon. Should we not let him rest first?"

"I have considered it Cyril, believe me," Terrador admitted "However with the threat of these Elementals we have little choice. Spyro has to be ready to fight to a new degree."

Unlike Cyril, Volteer was ecstatic "I for one am most eager to pass this knowledge on to the one most capable of using it!" Volteer exclaimed happily "Why, I would even gander that young Spyro will easily be able to master it to a vastly higher degree than any of us would ev-"

"We get it Volteer!" Cyril silenced the Guardian "I would just like to add that we should also enroll Spyro in the academy. He has been robbed of enough of his youth."

"I cannot argue there…" Terrador admitted sadly "It truly is a shame that Spyro had to endure so much at such a young age, and now a new threat approaches."

"I do believe he has deserved the right to atleast be left in the dark about this threat until his intervention is required." Volteer suggested.

"Yes, I do believe both he and Cynder have deserved to live as normal dragons for a time." Terrador agreed.

"Good! Now, let us return to the awaiting venison steaks awaiting us!" Volteer stated as he quickly went to devour the awaiting meat.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Hurry Flame! We'll be late!" Darman called back to his hot headed friend.

"Geez Darman, no need to rush this much!" Flame retorted as he tried to catch up to his speeding friend "What are they going to do? Punish us?"

"I rather don't want _more _cleaning duty!" Darman snapped "Meet me at the cafeteria in a few minutes. Go get Ember, I'll go get Sion."

"Calm down Darman! We still have like…half an hour left!"

"I'll calm down when we get there!" Darman shouted back as he sprinted to the centre of the village.

Flame just grunted as he went to the northern area of the city at a much slower pace in search of Ember.

About 20 minutes later the four dragons met each other at the entrance of the cafeteria, ready to undertake the long day of cleaning and serving food ahead of them.

"Hey, isn't that Michael?" Ember pointed out as they entered.

Flame looked in the direction Ember was pointing and saw that Ember was right.

"Hey! Michael!" Sion shouted in greeting.

The shout easily caught Michaels' attention, along with every other dragon in the building.

"Shut it!" Flame shouted nearly as loud "We aren't the only dragons here!"

"Both of you be quiet!" Ember said in a loud whisper, blushing in embarrassment from the stares they were getting.

By now Michael was very close to them "Heya!" He greeted. He noticed the blush on Ember's face and a sly grin appeared on his face "Why so red Ember? Is there something you and Flame want to tell us?"

Ember got an even deeper shade of red on her face as Flame nearly tackled the blue-green dragon.

"Hahaha! It never gets old to see you guys like this!" Sion shouted as he laughed, once again earning them the attention of the room.

Darman had long since wandered away to avoid most of the unpleasant stares sent their way. He was standing in line to get his food when he saw a purple color on the edge of his eye. He turned in the direction of the sight and saw Spyro entering the cafeteria followed by Cynder.

He abandoned his position in the growing line and walked towards them.

"Hey Spyro, hey Cynder." He greeted his two newest friends "Good to see you're well enough to be walking again."

"Hi Darman." Cynder greeted the shy Void Dragon.

"Yup, Michael really helped with that," Spyro put a paw near the previously painful wounds "I barely feel a thing now!"

"Glad to know I could help!" Michael said as he and the rest of the group approached them.

"Well what'd you expect? Your weird water always helps!" Sion chimed in.

Spyro was felt very relieved that Sion seemed in such a good mood. He didn't seem to hold anything against Cynder.

Cynder had similar thoughts as Spyro "Should we get breakfast together before the line gets too long?" Cynder asked the group.

"Yeah! I'm getting hungry." Flame said as he surveyed his choice of food.

"I'm afraid you four will have to skip breakfast." Said a familiar voice.

"H-Hi Axen, why are you here?" Darman asked nervously.

"I came here to tell you that you and your families are to come to the Meeting Hall as soon as possible." Axen explained "Do not make me wait."

With that Axen left as quickly as he came, leaving numerous confused dragons behind.

"Uhmm, any idea what your dad wants Sion?" Flame asked the only unconfused dragon present.

"Yeah…" Sion admitted "It has something to do with going to Warfang, other than that I am not sure."

"He did mention something about ten families going back with us," Cynder thought aloud "Maybe he means some of you?"

Both Flame and Michael got excited expressions "We get to go outside? For real!?" Flame exclaimed in disbelief.

"And to the great Dragon City!" Michael added enthusiastically.

"Don't get your hopes up yet." Ember added with a sigh "There are hundreds of families, maybe we won't even get the chance to go."

"If you really want to go we can try convincing him?" Spyro offered.

"Yes!" Both Flame and Michael replied instantly.

Spyro turned his attention to Darman who had yet to say anything "What about you Darman? Do you want to go?"

"I would like to see the outside world, but I don't think Axen would allow it…" He said with a defeated expression.

"We'll see what we can do!" Spyro said in an attempt to lift his mood "Go get your families, we'll meet each other there."

He got no argument from any of the dragons present as they all left to get their families, leaving only Cynder, Spyro and Sion behind.

"So…" Sion spoke up, breaking the momentary silence "Should we try to get some food before we also go there?"

"Good idea!" Cynder replied with a friendly smile.

The three dragons were able to easily get their breakfast. They ate swiftly, not wanting to make Axen wait longer than he has to.

xXxXxXxXxXx

**A/N**

**And there's Chapter 4!**

**I know, not much going on here, but it is necessary I assure you.**

**A reviewer asked a question that I think I should just answer here as I got a few messages asking me the same thing:**

**Zizima: **_**"**__Do the ice elementals have breath attacks like the dragons or do they have their own types? Hopefully you'll answer this in the next chapters."_

**Answer: The Ice Elementals posses' different abilities as they are made of ice, giving them much more control and power over their element. As you have seen in previous chapters some of them are even made differently. To see specific abilities you'll just have to keep reading ;)**

**Constructive criticism is welcomed but please refrain from flaming. At this point flames would convince Axen the outside world is not safe at all.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

**Next chapter is here! :D**

**I just have a few things I need to say before you get to chapter 5, please bear with it for a little while :)**

**First off a reply to a question I should have seen coming long ago:**

**wolfartist117: "**Also I don't know if your going to do this but from the games ember has a huge crush on spyro and a lot of people put that into their fanfics, will you be doing that?"

**Answer: Well that depends. If the readers want me to have her develop a crush on him then I'll do that. I'll make a poll for it and let that decide.**

**I got a message from a friend of mine (yes you Zizima) telling me that it's confusing sometimes with the different writing styles, so I'll post a short list of them up here at the start of every chapter (happy now?).**

"Normal talking."

'_Thinking to self.'_

'_**Thinking back to something.'**_

**Plain bold writing will be the A/Ns :P**

**Now for something that will keep me safe from potential suing: I do **_**NOT**_** own The Legend of Spyro, any companies to do with it and so forth. Think about it for a bit, if I did own it why would I make Skylanders? (Sorry if that offends anyone enjoying that one).**

**Enough A/Ning, on to the chapter!**

xXxXxXxXxXx

The Ice Elementals were growing restless. They have been in a fruitless search for days now; they would always get close to finding the object of their search but it would always disappear when they got too close.

So far they have killed anything they have come across, including a few dragons and cheetahs.

They kept following the faint, nearly undetectable trace of power the Obelisk of Earth was emitting. They made no stops to rest, they kept moving, day and night, to free the Earth Elementals and get one step closer to freeing their masters.

They also knew they had to hurry. Of the 20 Elementals of their original force, only 9 remained: the three-icicled leader, two sickle-armed Elementals and six of the lesser ones.

The leader was following the trail of the Obelisk, he could feel it was far away, numerous days at their current pace in fact. Then with no warning he felt the trail of power he was following change direction and it became stronger…much stronger.

He swung around near 180 degrees, causing the rest of group to halt and wonder what was going on.

He could now feel the Obelisk not two hours away from them; they merely had to retrace their tracks!

With more seemingly random screeches and gestures the rest of the group also became agitated, they indubitably got the message '_Brethren! Close! That way!_'

With a much more accelerated walk they returned to their original formation; the lessers in the front, the leader following behind them while barking out orders and the remaining single icicled Elementals covered the rear.

They continued their pace for the estimated two hours until they finally found the Obelisk of Earth. At first glance it was obvious that the Ice Elementals would not be able to lift the object to take it to their lands.

However the Elementals only appeared idiotic, they had planned for this. Their current leader stepped forward, all three of his icicles glowing an unearthly blue color.

He held his hands out and moments later a bright flash was emitted from him, completely encasing the obelisk along with most of the surrounding area in solid ice.

The insignias on the frozen-over obelisk started glowing as the entire object started shaking slightly.

Again the Elementals have prepared for this. They _knew _that the magic teleporting the obelisk around the continent would activate once it detected magic in an attempt to prevent just this sort of thing from happening.

The leader shot forward, arms still outstretched. He collided with the ice covering the obelisk at full speed, embedding his arms within the ice.

The creature's entire body started shaking violently as it screeched as loud as it could. The light within its chest died down, shortly afterwards the screeching and shaking stopped as the Elemental shattered to pieces, releasing its hold on the frozen obelisk.

The ice encasing the Obelisk of Earth now had the same type of eerie glow all the Ice Elementals possessed within their chests.

When they were sure it was over the sickle-armed Elementals started giving orders to the remaining lessers as they rushed forward.

The sickle-armed ones easily sliced through the ice that was fusing the obelisk to the frozen ground beneath it, causing it to topple over onto the frozen grounds.

The smaller Elementals were already busy freezing more of the ground in the same way they froze the ocean when they first arrived.

One of the new leading sickle-armed Elementals sliced away any plant growth daring to be in their way as the remaining sickle-armed Elemental along with two of the lesser Elementals pushed the obelisk along the frozen path.

xXxXxXxXxXx

It had taken several hours for Axen to finish explaining the situation to the families he had summoned. In all there were about 13 adult dragons and 15 much younger ones '_I wonder why Axen Is sending so many dragons my age to Warfang if he thinks it's dangerous to go?_' Spyro asked himself.

To Spyros liking he found that Axen had chosen Flame, Ember, Michael and Darmans' families to go to Warfang, he even announced that his own son, Sion, would be going along with both Zaak and Laciter.

Axen announced that they will leave the next morning and that they were excused from work for the remainder of the day to prepare.

Spyro knew it shouldn't worry him so much, but he couldn't get his mind around it. Axen clearly told him that he did not believe him; that the war was still raging on. Yet he is sending ten families, some with multiple children, his own son and two dragons that he knew formed part of the city's defenses!

As he stormed towards his room in the infirmary he was stopped short by a very excited looking Sion "Hey Spyro! Can I talk to you for a bit?"

Spyro looked at the green scaled dragon strangely, he hasn't seen Sion this excited since he got here "Uhhh, sure Sion, what's this about?"

"About Warfang of course!" Sion exclaimed happily "I never thought my dad would let me go there," '_Neither did I…_' Spyro added to himself "I want you to tell me everything about it!"

"I don't think I can tell you much…" Spyro admitted with some shame "I was only there for less than a day before I came here and before that the city was in the middle of a war."

"Then tell me what little you saw then! Pleaaaaase!" Sion pleaded the purple dragon.

Releasing an exasperated sigh Spyro decided there was no way out of this "Fine…"

xXxXxXxXxXx

Zaak and Laciter both trusted their leader, they knew he would never purposefully put anyone in harm, yet they needed to know, why would he send so many young dragons to Warfang along with Morris and both of them?

They waited until the dragons were all gone before they went to him for answers. The last dragon to leave was Sion after he asked his father if he was really allowed to go.

When he was gone they approached the elderly dragon "Sir, we want to discuss something with you." Laciter stated with respect.

"Make it quick, I need to help the dragons prepare for their departure." Axen told the two wind dragons.

"We were present when you told the purple dragon that you did not believe him, yet you send so many young dragons with him to Warfang and three of your strongest dragons." Zaak explained.

"We do not doubt your decision sir," Laciter added hastily "We are merely curious as to the sudden change of heart."

Axen studied the two dragons before he spoke "I have had no change of heart, I intended to send as many dragons of Spyros' age as possible to Warfang since he got here," he explained "I cannot deny that all the evidence supports his claims. He seems like the purple dragon of legend, although a bit young, and you both claimed to have spoken with the remaining Guardians."

"Yes, that is true…" Laciter said as he processed what Axen just told him "But still, why send so many young dragons? Even your son?"

"I am no fool, Laciter," Axen began "Warfang no doubt has an Academy that will be much better equipped to teach the next generation than what we have here. Warfang will also be much safer from what remains of Malefor's forces."

"Then why not just have all the dragons go there along with those you are sending now?" Zaak asked his leader.

"I would like to do that, but sending these families and having them return is more to assure those who have lived through the war that it is not dangerous out there anymore. If I didn't then there would be distrust and chaos among the older dragons when I tell them we are leaving." Axen waved a paw in the air "Now begone! I have much to prepare for."

Neither dragon argued at the order given to them. They quickly saluted their leader and left the building, leaving Axen alone.

xXxXxXxXxXx

"Seriously big guy! How many more _urgent _messages do you have to send?!" Sparx shouted tiredly at the Earth Guardian.

Ever since Terrador discovered that Sparx could fly extremely fast even with such a small body and still carry something with him, he has been taking full advantage of it.

"Only 1 or 2…maybe 5 to go…" Terrador informed his speedy courier.

Sparx was easily able to navigate in between the buildings of the dragon city. However he was really getting tired. For the better part of the day he has been delivering messages to the repair teams throughout the city.

"Awww come on!" The yellow dragonfly complained "I want butterflies when I'm done…blue ones!"

Terrador chuckled at the response Sparx gave him "Very well Sparx, I'll have some ready for you when you are done."

With new motivation driving him, Sparx grabbed the remaining messages from Terrador. He quickly scanned through the addresses he had to visit and took off to the closest one.

Terrador watched Sparx dart quickly away from him "I swear, that dragonfly has endless stamina." Terrador told nobody in particular.

He took a glance at the sun. He estimated it to be early in the evening '_The meeting begins when the sun starts to set, guess I should get to the Academy._'

Wasting no more time Terrador stepped onto the road made of cobblestone. He went straight for the Academy, knowing that Volteer would most likely already be there, reading through every book he would soon be lecturing on.

He kept walking for about 20 minutes, passing the garden and market district on his way there.

Upon entering the academic structure his suspicions were confirmed when he could hear a very distinctive voice in the distance.

"Incredible! Unbelievable! Astounding! Stu-" the voice was cut short by another all-too-familiar voice.

"I get it Volteer!" Cyril silenced him "You will have all the time you want to read all of these…Next week."

"Knowledge should not be restricted by the continues time flow!" Volteer defended "It should be harnessed at all possible opportunities! I see nothing better to do while we await Terrador."

He then knew that they had been waiting for a while now. Deciding that delaying would not be wise he interrupted whatever Cyril was about to say "No need to wait anymore Volteer, sorry for being late."

"It's about time Terrador, I was just about to make my own arrangements with Volteer." Cyril told the dragon entering the building.

"Well I suppose that would have saved us some time." Terrador answered cheekily.

"Could you two sort this out _after_ we discuss the employment issue?" Volteer interrupted.

"Very well." Cyril agreed.

"Fine. Then let's begin with our roles then." Terrador sighed as he prepared to voice out what he planned the previous day "As far as our knowledge goes, I suggest the following roles for us. I would handle the melee training and earth element training."

Cyril snorted "Well I do believe the roles of our elements are quite obvious, wise one."

Terrador growled at Cyrils' remark "_As I was saying_" He shot an aggravated glance at Cyril "You will be handling the dragon history as you were there for most of it…"

Cyril emitted a growl not unlike the one Terrador gave him.

"And Volteer shall be in charge of teaching the young ones basic dragon knowledge and help them select a more advanced course."

"That is where our current predicament interrupts I believe?" Volteer asked.

'_Just like you, yes_' he thought to himself before he spoke "Yes. We do not have any dragons proficient enough in other courses to help the young ones choose their paths, we are also still lacking a dragon skilled enough in the fire element to teach other dragons."

"We could always ask young Spyro?" Volteer suggested "Last I saw his electric element was nearly as good as mine, so I would not put it beneath him to have near the same control of fire that Ignitus had."

"I would not underestimate to young Spyros' control over the elements," Cyril agreed "However how is he to be a student if he is also to be a teacher?"

"We have few young dragons and I do not believe that Axen would have that many young dragons in his settlement." Terrador paused for a moment "That's if he even decides to come here."

"So we shall request of young Spyro to be the instructor of fire, but should he decline we will not force or pressure him into being one." Terrador offered.

"Agreed." Both Cyril and Volteer answered.

As if on cue, a bright yellow light flew towards Terrador "It's done big guy! Now where's my reward?"

Terrador now had his suspicions confirmed that the dragonfly had been slacking off earlier in the day. The fatigue he had minutes ago was completely gone and he delivered the 5 letters given to him this time in half the time it took him to deliver 3 others earlier in the day. Sparx was smarter than he wanted people to believe, of that Terrador had no doubt anymore.

He gestured for Sparx to follow him as he spoke to the Guardians "I expect Spyro to be back within a day or two, we shall discuss this further when he returns."

He then left with the ecstatic ball of light, said light zipping all around Terrador while bombarding him with constant questions about the meeting he just had.

xXxXxXxXxXx

That evening Spyro was thoroughly exhausted. He spent the entire day telling Flame about the guardians, Sion about the city, Darman about his fights and Michael about the dragons that were already in Warfang. He was now trudging back to his room groggily, recalling the new dragons he had met.

During his tales he was introduced to all of his friends' families, minus Sion of course. Both of Flames' parents were fire dragons. His father was a large fire dragon called Inferno with the same blood-red scales that his son had. However unlike his son, he had spiraling horns, looking like they would be very painful to get struck by. His tail ended in an arrow shape similar to Flame. His mother was smaller than her husband, her name was Hearth. Her scales were a much lighter shade of red, nearly resembling pink. Her horns were straight and white as ivory. Her tail ended in an arrow shape similar to that of her husband and Flame.

He soon found out that Darman was living with Flame. He told them that he didn't know they were brothers, to which Darman replied that they weren't blood brothers, he was adopted. Spyro felt sorry for him but Flame told him that he was found as an egg. Darman also admitted that he was happy, that he didn't mind not knowing his biological parents since both Inferno and Hearth treated him like he was their own.

Next he was taken to meet Michaels' parents. His father was obviously a warrior. He was riddled with scars. When he introduced himself he confirmed Spyros' suspicions. Morris used to be on the front lines during the war, even now he was in charge of the defense for the settlement.

Upon that revelation Spyro had renewed suspicions about what Axen told him that morning. However his train of thought was cut off when Michaels' mother, Rachel, introduced herself.

She was an average sized dragoness, however her looks were anything but average. The first word that came to his mind, beautiful. She had perfect snow-white scales, her underbelly and horns were an ocean blue color. Her horns were straight and elegant and her tail ended in a heart shape. Spyro thought to himself that if Cynder were an ice dragoness, then she would look like her.

After meeting their parents Spyro was introduced to some of the other young dragons that would be going with them.

He met Quake, a stoic earth dragon. In his greeting he only gave Spyro a simple 'Hi'. His scales were a deep green color while his underbelly horns and tail tip were a much lighter shade of brown. His horns were His tail ended in what appeared to be a solid clump of earth '_This guy is like the exact opposite of Sion!_' Spyro mentally shouted as he looked at his light green scaled friend who had a happy grin painted on his muzzle. He could barely believe the irony.

Next he met two ice dragonesses. They were both a bit shorter than Spyro. They looked the same in terms of color, bright teal with white underbellies and horns, but that's where the similarities ended.

The first one had emerald green eyes, two slightly angled horns and a heart shaped tail end. The second one had sky-blue eyes, two straight horns and a tail ending in a sharp hook-like tip.

The emerald eyed one introduced herself as Lizz, which she proudly claimed to be short for blizzard.

The second one had a blush; the reason for it was far beyond Spyros' realm of understanding. Not seeming to be able to find her voice, Lizz introduced her as Azure. Michael then helpfully added that she might become a fire dragoness if her blush became her any redder. That being said her blush intensified and sent Sion into yet another laughing fit, this time taking Flame with him. Lizz glared daggers at them, sending a chill of fear down their spines.

As he entered his room he promptly fell face first into his cushions, allowing sleep to siege what remained of his consciousness.

'_Cynder, you have no idea how lucky you are, you dodged a fury today._' was the last thing Spyro thought about before he turned in for the night.

Cynder being as blissfully unaware as she was, was currently enjoying a meal with Ember.

She had not _completely _avoided the same fate as Spyro. She only had to meet some of the younger dragons, Ember wisely keeping her away from the adults.

After finishing her rabbit and nudging the green stuff away, Cynder decided to talk to her friend as she was also nearly done "I can't wait to have more dragons our age in Warfang. From what I saw there weren't even half of what Axen is sending with us."

Ember looked up from her meal "That sounds a bit sad, such a large city but barely any young dragons?"

Cynder nodded "But it isn't that bad, I mean I always have Spyro to keep me company."

This caused Ember to abandon what remained of her meal as she got a smile that Cynder didn't like "You like him!" Ember proclaimed.

Cynder blinked in confusion "Of course I like him; we've been through a lot."

Ember rolled her eyes before speaking again "Don't play dumb with me Cynder, I can see right through you!"

"I-I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Cynder stammered nervously.

That was all the proof Ember needed "You don't have to hide it, I promise I won't tell him! Trust me, it'll feel good once you tell someone."

Cynder knew that even if she denied it, Ember would have figured it out by now. She could feel her face heating up, no doubt giving Ember even more ammunition against her. She softly said something, so soft that it was inaudible.

Ember leaned in a bit closer "What was that?"

Cynder averted her eyes "I said you're right…"

Ember beamed with happiness "I knew it! How long have you two been together then?"

"We haven't been, he doesn't know how I feel yet." Cynder admitted very softly, but Ember heard her.

Her once happy face was now replaced with a concerned one "What? Why?"

"I told him I loved him…once…" she looked at Ember before continuing "But I don't think he heard me."

Ember had a confused look on her face "How could he possibly not have heard something like that?"

Cynder decided that if she already told her this much, she might as well tell her everything "Do you remember that Spyro had to pull the world back together after he defeated Malefor?"

"Yes?" Ember answered as she recalled Spyro mentioning something like that. However she did not understand where Cynder was going with this.

"Well…I sorta thought we were going to die there," Cynder explained "So I figured I should just tell him then and there…"

Realization seemed to hit Ember hard as she started to look somewhat worried "So you told him once, he didn't hear and now you can't tell him again?"

Not trusting her voice, Cynder merely nodded.

Determination filled Embers' eyes as she spoke again "Well we can't leave it at that!" she stated, causing Cynder to look at her strangely "Cynder, you and Spyro are both heroes now. Do you really think you would be the only one after him?"

"I…I never thought of that!"

"Well you best start thinking about it! But don't worry, I'll help you." Ember waved her tail in front of her "My tail doesn't have a heart on for nothing!"

This caused Cynder to giggle a bit. She needs help getting Spyros' attention, especially now that she knew she had competition "Thanks Ember!"

"You're welcome!" Ember looked her over a bit "Now that the war is over, we really need to do something about your image…" Cynder seemed offended at that, which Ember saw easily "I don't mean it like that! I just mean that your scales could be a bit cleaner, maybe get your claws polished…Now that I think about it, we have a lot to do!"

xXxXxXxXxXx

After a very peaceful night full of sleep, Spyro was shook from his blissful state by a loud, intruding voice "Wake up Spyro! Come on! It's time to go to Warfang!"

Spyro jumped up in surprise, ready to lash out at any enemy close enough. When he came to his senses all he saw was a widely grinning Sion nearly jumping around with energy.

"Don't wake me like that!" Spyro scolded the earth dragon "I nearly thought you were a Grubling!"

"I'm not surprised; he is as ugly as one." Flame remarked from the door.

"Be glad I'm in a good mood Flame, otherwise I'll have these walls beat you up." Sion retorted with a sly grin.

"Why you…" Flame grumbled.

"That's enough you two," Ember said as she walked between the males "You can fight all you want when we get to Warfang."

"At what time are we leaving anyway?" Cynder asked with a yawn. Clearly she had been awoken by the commotion.

"Now." Michael replied simply "Axen sent us to get you two, everyone is ready to go."

"It's that late already?" Spyro asked

"Yeah, we all actually thought you were just getting ready." Darman informed him.

"What are we still doing here then? Let's go!" Spyro hastily said, shaking off his morning drowsiness completely.

They left the infirmary in a hurry since Spyro felt ashamed that he kept the dragons waiting as long as he did. When they arrived at the village center they found a group of 26 dragons, minus a heavily scowling Axen waiting for them "You're late."

"Y-Yeah, sorry about that…" Spyro felt ashamed for making all these dragons wait for him.

Axen turned around to address the crowd "You all already know what to do, so I won't prolong this any longer than necessary. You are to follow Krieg and Megan," he gestured to the two dragons "Until you arrive in Warfang. Zaak and Laciter will be flying behind to provide a tail wind. May you all have a safe flight and a peaceful time in Warfang."

"Follow me." Morris spoke to the crowd.

Spyro, Cynder, Megan, Krieg and Morris walked in front, leading them out of the series of tunnels towards the surface. When they all made it out they did a quick headcount to confirm nobody had been left behind.

Satisfied that they were all there, Megan and Krieg took off with the rest of the dragons following behind. As they soared through the skies Spyro noticed the absence of Cynder, even though she had been with him a moment ago.

He looked around a bit for her and finally found her flying with Zaak and Laciter, helping them create the air currents '_At this rate we should be there long before nightfall._' Spyro mentally noted.

The flight went by fairly peacefully; they only stopped to rest three times. Nearly all of the younger dragons studied the land passing beneath them with great interest as this is their first time seeing fields of green. With the sun starting to set far on the horizon the great Dragon City finally came into view.

Gasps of amazement were abundant, even from the older dragons. They had been led to believe that Warfang was mostly ruined by the fighting, but as they got closer they saw that only some of the buildings have been damaged and a part of the wall was gone.

Spyro really hoped that this time he would be able to spend more time relaxing in the city instead of being sent on another errand.

Megan led the group of dragons towards the eastern gate where Terrador, Cyril and Volteer awaited their arrival "I must say, this group seems rather small for the entire settlement." Cyril softly told the other Guardians.

"I doubt that this is the _entire _settlement Cyril," Terrador spoke just as softly as Megan approached them "I don't see Axen amongst them."

By now all the dragons have landed. Terrador told Volteer and Cyril to orientate the new arrivals while he found out more about this group.

Terrador turned his attention to Megan as Volteer started telling the war was over once again "Megan, care to enlighten me as to why I am unable to see Axen?"

Megan was joined by Spyro, Cynder and Krieg as she spoke "Even with Spyro supporting us Axen still refused to believe that the war was truly over."

"However he could not deny the fact that Spyro is the purple dragon of legend," Krieg continued "So he sent 10 families here. After they stayed for three months and nothing befalls them Axen will send the rest of the settlement here."

Terrador did not seem too surprised by these words "Stubborn as always." He scanned the crowd and noticed something that did not feel right "Why are there so many young dragons if he believes it to be unsafe?"

Spyro saw this as a chance to discuss the same doubts he has been having "I am not sure Terrador, but there's more. Axen sent his son, Sion, with us and three of his best warriors, one of them being the leader of his guard."

"Then I suppose we must speak to those three once this is over." Cyril now addressed the crowd, telling them of available jobs and where to go to get them "I want you and Cynder to come to the Dragon Citadel once these dragons have been orientated."

The next hour was spent showing the new arrivals the important parts of the city. The Market District, the Gardens, the Dragon Citadel, the Academy and lastly their temporary homes.

The houses were on a hill of sorts, giving their inhabitants a good view over the city; each looked big enough to take a family of four. The houses themselves looked very basic, no balconies or anything really notable. Terrador then explained that they can remain here or they can buy a better home once they found a job.

Cyril then stepped forward to explain that the Academy will be opening in three days and that the dragons should familiarize themselves with the city before then.

The crowd was then dismissed by Volteer "I shall get the wind dragons." Volteer said as he disappeared within the crowd. Terrador was already gone, presumably in the direction of the earth dragon Morris.

It didn't take long for the Guardians to find their targets and bring them to the Dragon Citadel. Spyro, Cynder and Cyril were already waiting patiently for their arrival.

"What's this about?" Spyro finally asked.

"A few things really." Terrador answered him "Firstly, we want to know why Axen only sent a few dragons, most of them young no less, if he believes it to be dangerous?"

Zaak decided to speak up in his leaders defense "Axen does not truly believe it to be dangerous, in fact he wanted to send all the dragons here."

"Why would he do that if he thinks it's dangerous?" Spyro asked the wind dragon.

Laciter decided to speak this time "He never doubted your words. However most of the older dragons that reside there do not. What Axen is doing now is merely to put them at ease."

"That seems logical enough," Cyril offered "Those who have seen the war would surely be apprehensive about leaving the safety of their home."

"That would explain a lot," Spyro thought out loud "Did you know of this Morris?"

"No, this is the first I heard of this. I also wondered why Axen would send me away." Morris answered truthfully "Not that I doubt the words of the great purple dragon and the Guardians, but aren't there any remnants of the Dark Master's army?"

"We also thought there would be, but it seems they have all fled after the fall of Malefor." Cyril explained.

"That is all we wanted to know. You may leave but please return here tomorrow morning." Terrador told the three new dragons.

They respectfully saluted the Guardians and left them.

Terrador turned to the two young dragons that remained in room "Spyro, Cynder. I am pleased to inform you that we will not be having to send you anywhere for now, however we require your help Spyro."

Spyro looked at the Earth Guardian in confusion "With what Terrador?"

"We need a dragon skilled enough in the fire element to teach the dragons at the academy." Terrador explained "Seeing as you nearly mastered all four of your elements we ask of you to help us with this, should you decline we will not force you to do so."

Spyro looked downcast upon hearing this request "I have something to confess." Spyro sighed a sad sigh before continuing "I think I lost my ability to use my elements again after my fight with Malefor, I am unable to use any of them."

They seemed somewhat shocked by this revelation, causing a silence to descend onto the five dragons.

The silence was finally broken by Cyril "I am certain this is merely some form of exhaustion, after a few weeks at the Academy you should be able to use them again. If not, we will search for a way to recover it then."

"Our last order of business now seems mundane to propose." Volteer spoke "We shall postpone this matter until a time that you have regained your abilities. For now get some rest, you will need it after such a long flight."

No argument was given by Spyro or Cynder as they left the meeting chamber.

"Do you want to get something to eat?" Cynder offered.

Spyro didn't take long to accept her offer; after all he hadn't eaten anything all day "Ok, I'll go get the rest."

For a moment Cynder didn't know what he meant, but she soon understood as she recalled Ember's words '_**Try to spend as much time alone with him as possible, it'll help build your relationship.**__' _"Actually Spyro, I think we should let them spend the night with their families. They are in a new place after all; we'll spend the day with them tomorrow."

"You're right, I completely forgot about that! Thanks for reminding me." Spyro smiled at her "So where should we eat?"

"I don't know Warfang at all, maybe we should just eat here in the Citadel?" Cynder suggested.

"Seems like a good idea, let's g-hmph!" Spyro was prematurely silenced by something clasping down on his muzzle.

"Welcome back bro!" Shouted the muzzle-clamp now identified as Sparx "Hi demon." He deadpanned at Cynder.

"Welcome back you glorified mosquito!" Cynder greeted cheerfully "Mind letting your brother breathe?"

Realizing he was indeed suffocating his brother, Sparx hastily let go "Hello to you too buddy."

"So how did the trip go? No babies eaten by the demon next to you hopefully?" Sparx reased playfully.

"Hmmm, not in the past week, no." Cynder replied sarcastically "However I do have a craving for insects…" Cynder licked her lips to emphasize her point.

Sparx seemed to pale before hiding behind Spyros' horns "I _told you_ she was evil!"

Spyro softly laughed at their antics "I think that's enough for now you two, let's go get something to eat."

The rest of the evening went by fairly entertaining. Sparx and Cynder were constantly arguing light-heartedly and occasionally dragging Spyro into the fray aswell.

xXxXxXxXxXx

At the cluster of houses the usual group of friends got together, eager to explore as much of the city as they could.

However each of them had different locations in mind. Ember wanted to explore the Market District. Flame and Darman wanted to explore the contents of the local cafeteria. Sion wanted to wander aimlessly around the city and Michael wanted to see what the Dragon Citadel looked like.

They all finally decided to plan where they would be going, lest they be stuck there the entire night "I really want to go to the Market District, I need to find something there." Ember suggested.

Flame asked the obvious question "And what would that be?"

"Girl stuff." Ember replied.

"Maybe you can go with her Flame; you might get lucky and find a cramped store!" Michael teased the two fire dragons, earning a blush from them both '_This is just too easy!_'

Darman laughed nervously "Maybe we should split into groups?" he suggested "Anybody who is hungry can come with us to get some food while the rest go with Ember. When you are done there you can come join us."

With no other real plans they all agreed to that. Flame, Darman and Sion ended up going for the food while Michael and Ember went to explore the Market District.

After walking down a few streets Michael wanted to know what Ember wanted there "Be honest with me Ember, what are you looking for here?"

Ember looked around before she replied "Can you keep a secret? One you can't tell anyone."

Michael had not expected that question, but decided to answer truthfully "Yes, if someone asks me not to tell anybody else then I won't."

Ember now looked at him with a somewhat pleading expression "Good, I need your help."

"Uhmm, ok, with what?"

Ember scanned around her one more time before speaking "Cynder likes Spyro, she really likes him, but she is afraid of what he might say so I offered to help her." She stopped looking around "I might need help with this, Spyro seems a bit dense."

Of all the things Michael expected, this was not one of them. He got an evil smirk on his face "Of course I'll help, you just gave me a new target other than you and Flame!" he ignored the small blush that caused "So what's the plan? What are we going to do first?"

"This!" Ember proclaimed as she found what she was looking for.

Michael looked strangely at the building before him "You're on your own for this one…"

xXxXxXxXxXx

The Elementals were having a day of jumbled up luck. On the one paw they found the object of their search by sheer luck, speeding up their journey considerably. On the other they encountered a small group of flying Grublings which attacked them, killing three lesser Elementals and one scythe-armed Elemental.

They now had four left, barely enough to freeze the ocean which they would soon have to traverse. With a team of 20 Elementals it took them days to cross the aquatic wasteland, with four of them in total, atleast two would have to push the heavy object while the others create a frozen path for them.

This however did not deter them in the slightest. Even if it took them months, delivering the Obelisk of Earth will happen; and when it did they would have another ally by their side to combat their foes and free their masters.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Several hours after Spyro and Cynder retired to their chambers the Guardians have reassembled for another meeting.

They now had numerous problems to deal with. One, Spyro lost his powers again. Two, Blitz and his group have yet to return. Three, they still needed an instructor for the fire element.

They debated what to do about Spyro and his lack of his powers for close to an hour when they came to the same conclusion they did last time: They could only wait and hope for the best.

"A problem that I am truly growing concerned about is the fact the Blitz had yet to return and failed to send word of their whereabouts." Cyril stated.

"I am afraid we all know what fate has most likely befallen them," Terrador said with a concerned frown "I suggest we send a few agile dragons to scan the coast for them. I fear for what we may find, but we must know the fates of the search party and we need any information that we can get on the Elementals." Terrador suggested.

"I share your concerns Terrador," Volteer added "I think we should consider the possibility of sending the two wind dragons along with a few fire dragons to search for the missing party."

"I shall summon them here tomorrow when they leave their homes." Cyril said as he supported the idea, making it an unanimous decision "I fear we are back to square one with the fire mentor. I propose we employ multiple talented fire users, that way the younger ones can learn from the different techniques."

Terrador considered the proposal before speaking "I vote for that idea. However we must find a more permanent single dragon for the task, otherwise the young ones might get confused with the differing techniques."

Volteer grunted "I still curse our luck. Axen would have made for a fine teacher should he have come, yet he had to stay behind and now even young Spyro is unable to pass his knowledge!"

"We have been over this Volteer, we can't do anything about that for now." Terrador easily picked up the aggravation in his voice "It's getting late; we will discuss this further tomorrow."

Since both Volteer and Cyril were in fact tired, they gave no opposition to Terrador and treaded towards their rooms.

xXxXxXxXxXx

The next morning Spyro was awoken by a repeated tugging on his tail. He tried to swat his assailant away with a swift flick of his tail. For a short bit that stopped the tugging, however the tugging returned.

Deciding to face this irritation directly he lifted his head to get a good look at what's going on "Hey! Good morning sleeping beauty!"

Spyro groaned while he set his head down again "Go away Sparx, I'm trying to sleep…"

Sparx once more started a tug-of-war with his tail "Can't do that buddy, the some pink dragoness asked me to get you…" Sparx then got a teasing edge in his voice "You don't want to keep her waiting bro, she's a beaut'!"

The mention of the pink dragoness seemed to get his attention "You mean Ember?" Sparx nodded "Ok, I'm coming. Could you stop pulling my tail?"

"Sure, but if you put your head down again I'm letting her in!" Sparx threatened his foster brother.

Spyro got up easily enough after that. He stretched until his joints popped, ridding him of his morning stiffness. He then opened the door, finding a cheerful Ember on the other side of it.

"Finally! Come on Spyro, everyone is waiting for you!" Spyro shot a glance towards Cynders' room, which Ember saw "Cynder is already there, Michael got her a little while ago."

With no further arguments Spyro followed Ember through the streets. He didn't know the city all that well but by what he remembered they were going towards the local cafeteria.

"Why is everyone meeting up so early?" Spyro asked his guide.

"'Cause, we only have two more days until we start at the Academy." She replied "So now we want to enjoy each day to the fullest!"

Spyro let loose a yawn he had been trying to contain "Couldn't it wait another hour or two?"

Ember simply ignored his comment as they entered the cafeteria. It was still mostly empty due to the time of day. Spyro expected the rest of them to be just as enthusiastic as Ember about this. However he smiled when he saw the rest of them.

Sion was lying sprawled across the table, fast asleep. Flame was lying on the floor, Darman following suite. Michael and Cynder seemed to be the only awake ones, both of them eating.

"Woah, I thought the one on the table was going to be just as energetic as the pink one!" Sparx exclaimed as he flew over to said green dragon, landing next to his ears "WAKE UP!"

Sion jumped up in surprise, suddenly standing on attention "AHH! I wasn't sleeping dad! Honest!" He looked around in confusion. He couldn't see his father anywhere, only a group of laughing dragons.

His outburst had also woken up the other two sleeping dragons; they got up much more subtly.

"Wha-?" Sion looked around drowsily "Where?"

A bright light flew infront of his face "Welcome to the world of the living buddy! Come on you got a long day ahead of you."

"Sparx is right!" Ember added in "No more sleeping, Spyro's here so let's eat!"

Sion put his head down to sleep again to return to his sleep, but Ember walked next to him and blew a short stream of fire into his tail tip "OW!" Ember glared at him "Fine, fine, I'm up!"

She turned her attention to Flame and Darman "Do I need to wake you two up like Sion?"

Cynder and Michael watched the exchange in amusement as they kept devouring their meal "Are we the only ones that are going to eat?" Cynder asked "Go get some food."

At that moment Spyro felt a growl from within him "G-Good idea." He stormed away out of embarrassment before Cynder could exploit the sound.

Ember giggled a bit at Spyro's obviousness before she turned to Flame and Darman again "Well go on! I'll catch up in a sec."

Neither argued with her as they went in the same direction as Spyro.

"I'll catch up with you guys later; this place doesn't have any butterflies for me…" Sparx said dejectedly.

"Ok Sparx, we'll see you a bit later today!" Ember shouted after the retreating yellow light.

"Should we tell Cynder now?" Michael asked as he looked at her.

Cynder looked slightly bewildered at that "Tell me what?"

"That he will be helping us get Spyro to notice you!" Ember answered with a bright smile.

Cynder looked shocked at that "You told him?!" She started blushing now that her secret was out.

Michael snickered at her blush "Don't worry I haven't told anyone…yet…" he finished the last part with an evil grin.

"Stop teasing her Michael!" Ember scolded him "You can do that later."

"Heh you know me Ember, I won't tell anyone unless Cynder allows me to!" Michael said to calm the black dragoness a bit.

Cynder felt a bit better at that but still very nervous "Why did you tell him anyway?"

"I don't know about you, but I have no idea how a male thinks." Ember admitted "We need him. For the rest of the day he'll be keeping Spyro and the rest busy while I take you somewhere special…"

Cynder did not like the feeling of foreboding she got from those words "Where is that?"

Ember went next to Cynder and nudged her along "You'll see. Come on, we still need to go to the Guardians before we go there."

"W-What about your breakfast?" Cynder stammered as she was nudged along.

"I already ate!" Ember said as she kept pushing her away "You know what to do Michael!"

He saluted her with a wing "Yes ma'm!"

xXxXxXxXxXx

"I am sooo tired of waiting like this!" a very annoyed voice sounded out.

"Calm down Flake." An ever bored voice answered "Clayf is already prepared to get you out of here, once the Obelisk of Earth reaches the Icy Plaines atleast."

"Once you are out _do not_ forget your duties Flake!" Appolonir bellowed "One Clayf does this we will need to give him what remains of our powers, so will you for that matter. We will surely fall into another slumber, you on the other paw will only be severely weakened."

"Seek out the Dragon City, I shall get you as close as possible." Clayf explained "Your name is Glacia. Your parents were killed during a raid when you were very young. You have been fending for-"

"Myself since ever since and I never learned how to use my element." Flake interrupted "I _know_, we have been over this a hundred times already!"

"You best get it right then, I enjoy sleeping as much as the next dragon but I don't like doing so for another hundred years." Thundron said with the same uninterested tone he always had.

xXxXxXxXxXx

**A/N**

**I hope you all liked this chapter!**

**Also, a big thanks to Darman700 for his ongoing support and motivation! :)**

**Please remember to vote in the poll. The more votes I get the happier I'll get. The happier I get the more motivated I get. The more motivated I get the faster the chapters will come, it's a win-win situation!**

**Lastly: I will be going on a short vacation for a little while so the next update might take a bit longer, but in exchange I'll make it a bit longer than my previous ones :D**

**Now this also has to be said again… Constructive criticism is welcomed as it helps me improve; flames will be hated as flames from humans will make Spyro jealous. He can't breathe the stuff right now, so show your support by keeping the nasty things away!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**I'm baaaack :D**

**Sorry for the long wait on this update, but I was kinda busy (if you count lounging on a beach busy that is ^^). I would have written there but due to a lack of a laptop being in my possession I was unable to do so.**

**Now the poll results were 10-3 in favor of Ember **_**not**_** having a crush on Spyro (I took votes into account that were posted as reviews, sent as PM's and voted on in the poll).**

**I do **_**NOT **_**own The Legend of Spyro, any companies to do with it, any characters therein (except Sion and a few others, **_**mine!**_**), the plot and anything else I might have forgotten!**

**Now this will be my longest chapter so far going over 9k words, I hope you enjoy it!**

xXx

"This is it!" A cheerful voice exclaimed.

"What is this place?" Another voice asked in confusion.

"How could you not know what this place is Cynder?" Ember asked only half surprised "It's a dragoness' best friend!"

"I never explored the city before, so of course I won't know what this place is!" Cynder defended herself.

The two dragonesses were currently standing in front of a building decorated with numerous colors flowing together. On the sign above the door it said 'Beauty Corner'.

"Well then, it's a good thing I brought you here then!" Ember stated "I haven't been in one myself in months; I think I need this just as much as you."

Cynder looked a bit nervous at doing this "What will they do to us in there?"

Ember was very amused at her friend's nervous question "Well first they'll send in a few Grublings to get us started, then comes the og-" Cynder glared at her sarcastic answer "Haha fine. It's a surprise, but don't worry, they won't hurt us. I promise it will be really fun!"

Cynder did not allow her glare lose its intensity for a second. Finally she decided to just go with it "Ok, but you better be telling the truth."

Ember giggled a bit more "You need to lighten up Cynder, the war is over. No need to be so tense anymore!"

As they stepped into the store they were greeted by a beautiful dragoness "Welcome to the Beauty Corner!" a white dragoness greeted "What can I do- Ember?"

It didn't take Ember very long to recognize the dragoness standing before her, after all she used to see her a lot back at the settlement "Hi Rachel!" Ember greeted Michael's mother "What are you doing here?"

"I just started this morning." Rachel explained to the pink dragoness "Since I did a similar type of work back at the settlement they decided to let me work here."

Ember smiled happily, she knew that she was guaranteed a good service with Rachel. She then noticed the lost expression Cynder had "This is Cynder, she's a friend of me and Michael."

Rachel examined the black dragoness carefully "She isn't _that_ Cynder is she?"

Cynder knew something like this would come up again, but she was prepared for it now more than she was before "I am…" Cynder said sadly "But I have completely abandoned that part of my life, I am trying to make amends for my deeds."

Rachel kept studying her until she finally let out a sigh "If Ember and the Guardians trust you then I see no reason not to grant you a second chance." Rachel stated softly before brightening up again "So what can I get you two? Is this about impressing Flame?"

Apparently Michael got his teasing genes from his mother "N-n-no!" Ember denied, yet her blush told Rachel and Cynder otherwise "We are here for Cynder, we need the full service!"

Rachel examined Cynder again, but this time for much different reasons. She looked under her wings, looked at her teeth, lifted a paw and looked closely at her scales "I see what you mean Ember! We are full right now, but we'll have a spot for you in about half an hour."

"Thanks, we'll wait." Cynder and Ember each sat down on a pile of nearby cushions.

"Why did she just look at me like that?"

"I told you," Ember grinned slyly "It's a secret."

Cynder rolled her eyes as she slumped down on the comfortable cushions, awaiting the unknown treatment ahead of her.

xXx

"So where are we going again?" A purple dragon asked.

"I told you, to the Guardians, I need to ask them something." Michael answered.

"What about Flame, Darman and Sion?"

"I also told you that, they went to get Quake and a few other dragons you don't know yet."

"Now I'll ask this again…Why?"

"Now I'll tell you again…You'll see soon enough."

Spyro finally just gave up on finding out what Michael had planned. This had been the third time he refused to tell him what he had planned for the day.

As they finally arrived at the Dragon Citadel where the Guardians would no doubt be Michael turned to Spyro "Wait here."

Spyro, knowing that asking 'why' again would be futile, just decided to obey "Ok, just hurry up!" Spyro said in an annoyed tone.

"Hey! Don't be so uptight just because your girlfriend isn't here!" Michael teased the easy target as he went into the Dragon Citadel.

"She's not my-argh forget it!" Spyro tried to argue, however Michael was long gone.

'_Now that he mentioned it; where is Cynder, and Ember for that matter?'_ Spyro wondered '_I haven't seen either of them since I left for breakfast…'_

Before he could dabble on this thought any longer Michael stepped out of the building "Ok let's go!"

"Michael I know you don't want to tell me _what_ we are doing today, but could you _atleast_ tell me what you just asked the Guardians?" Spyro asked in slight annoyance.

"I had to find something out." Michael saw that Spyro was about to ask an obvious question "No, I won't tell you, you'll have to wait and see."

Spyro grumbled to himself as they walked towards their meeting spot. Upon their arrival they saw Darman running in a large circle with a yellow scaled pursuer while the rest of the dragons were laughing at the sight.

Spyro knew a few of the dragons standing in the empty area. He saw Flame, Darman, Sion, Quake and two other dragons he never saw before '_They must be part of the group that came here.'_ Spyro deduced.

"Stop running Darman!" the unknown yellow dragon screamed at his target "You know you deserve this!"

Darman didn't even look back as he spoke "But I didn't even do anything!"

"Liar!" The yellow dragon shouted as he leapt at Darman. His target saw this coming just in time. In the blink of an eye the lines on his body thickened and he was propelled upwards at a breakneck speed "Stop running with your element!"

Spyro approached Flame as the angry yellow dragon took off after him "What did Darman do to anger that dragon?"

Flame stopped laughing long enough to talk to Spyro "He didn't do anything, Sion did, but Zaph thinks Darman did!"

"That would be…?" Spyro prompted the fire dragon.

Sion, noticing Spyro was there, stepped closer to him "While Zaph was talking to Flame I yanked his tail while Darman was standing behind him, I think you can see the result!" Sion stated proudly.

"So it was _you_!" Zaph yelled while barreling down at Sion. Evidently he overheard them.

"Damn!" Sion cursed as he tried to dodge the speeding dragon.

"You're not getting away!" Zaph promised as he continued onward. True to his word he shot into Sion, causing them to roll heads over tails a few times. When they finally stopped Zaph ended up on top of Sion, effectively pinning him to the ground "Got something to say?"

Sion grinned sheepishly at the dragon pinning him down "Uh…Sorry?" Zaph grunted at the answer and sent a short jolt of electricity into Sion "OW!"

As the dragon called Zaph climbed off of Sion, Spyro got a good look at him. He had a dark shade of yellow scales on his body, his underbelly was also yellow, albeit a much lighter color. His horns were shaped like an arc ending halfway. On the tip of his tail was cone shaped, the end of which was slightly open.

"Do that again and you won't get off as easily." Zaph threatened.

Darman finally determined that the danger was over as he landed between Spyro and Flame, the lines on his body slowly reverting back to their normal size.

Spyro looked worriedly at the receding lines. The moving lines looked a lot like liquid shadows flowing back to their source, not unlike his dark form "Darman, what are those markings?" Spyro asked as he gestured at said marks.

"I don't really know…" Darman admitted "It seems every time I use my element they grow larger, and the more power I use the larger they get."

Before he could ask any more questions, a new dragon came uncomfortably close "Wow! It's really him!" The new arrival screamed for all to hear "Hi I'm Zeuk! It's so great to meet you Spyro!"

"Uhhhh…Hi." Spyro greeted, a bit embarrassed by the sudden attention. The gushing dragon was another yellow scaled dragon; however his shade was much lighter, a color looking somewhat like the sun. His underbelly was yet a lighter shade, nearly the same as his scales at first glance. His horns took on the same half-arced form as the other electric dragon. His tail ended in three sharp tips, each about three inches long.

"Zeuk stop doing that! We talked about this!" Zaph scolded Zeuk. Zaph then proceeded to push the other dragon away from Spyro "Sorry about that, my brother can get a bit…excited around famous dragons. I'm Zaph by the way."

"Hi, I'm Spyro." he greeted the other dragon.

"I know, I doubt anyone doesn't." Zaph turned to Michael "Did you find out where it is?"

"Does Flame love Ember?" Michael returned innocently.

"HEY!" Flame shouted indignantly.

"It's not far from here; it will only be a few minutes walking." Michael continued, ignoring the shouting from Flame.

"Let's go then; I don't want to waste any more time here." The normally quiet Quake said as they walked on.

The moment they started walking Zeuk started asking Spyro many more questions, most of which he answered.

xXx

"Ember, Cynder, we're ready for you." Rachel informed the dragonesses in waiting "Please follow me."

Cynder walked closer to Ember, she had to know where she was going "Ember, would you tell me what's going to happen _now_?"

"Now why would I do that when you are going to see for yourself in a few seconds?" Ember chimed.

As they approached the door Cynder was stopped by Rachel holding out a paw. Cynder cocked her head to the side, unsure of what the white dragoness wanted.

"Give her your anklets and any other jewelry." Ember informed her oblivious friend.

"You'll get them back when you finish." Rachel assured her.

Nodding reluctantly she did as she was asked. When Rachel took them she placed them in a wooden box which was hidden behind the counter. After safely storing the valuables she held the curtains open for them to the next room "Right this way."

After turning a corner and walking past a few other doors they entered the one at the very end. The room that they just entered was quite large. In the middle was a fairly large, yet clearly shallow, pool. The pool itself had steam coming off of it in small amounts, filling the entire room with a pleasant aroma.

At the other end of the pool along the wall was a miniature waterfall, several dragonesses were sitting beneath the cascading waters. Outside of the pool were several tables with more dragonesses laying on top of them while moles were scrubbing their sides with a foaming substance.

Cynder was unsure what they had to do _'Are we meant to drink this water?'_

As if hearing her thoughts, Rachel turned to face Cynder as she spoke "For now, just get in the water and enjoy yourselves," Rachel explained "It's a heated herbal pool, it'll help you relax. When you are done just go to one of the empty tables; I'll be back in about an hour or so."

Rachel passed the two young dragonesses, leaving them to enjoy themselves for a little while.

"So is this the big secret?" Cynder asked as she stepped into the surprisingly pleasant water "We just laze around here for a bit?"

"Oh this is just the start," Ember stepped into the water which was deep enough to leave only their necks above water "The real good stuff starts when she comes back."

Cynder stared flatly at the smiling face of Ember "You aren't going to tell me what that is, are you?"

"Nope! Relax Cynder, just enjoy this and remember what it's for."

"Alright…" Cynder conceded as they wandered aimlessly through the heated water.

As they approached the waterfall the ground beneath them rose enough to only have their legs still submerged. They both stepped under the pleasant stream of water; instantly succumbing to the pleasant sensation of the medical water trickling down their bodies.

Cynder never knew that frolicking around in some water could ever be this relaxing. For the next half hour they both remained beneath the stream of water.

Ember finally snapped them both from their daze "Come on Cynder, we should get on those tables, they're part of the experience."

Cynder made no move to argue, she only replied with a nod of her head. If Ember said that going to the tables are worth abandoning this wonderful spot, she wouldn't argue.

They lazily made their way to two open tables where several moles were awaiting with scrubs and strange substances in their paws.

As Cynder rested her head between her front paws the moles covered her in many strange smelling, thick liquids. Cynder turned around to see what the moles were up to. Then she caught sight of Ember, eyes closed in a blissful peace as the moles scrubbed her.

Cynder decided to follow the example her friend set and returned to her previous position. Within moments she understood why Ember was so happy with the treatment. The moles gently scrubbed her scales, the cool liquid being spread all over her body.

They didn't miss a spot. They scrubbed her tail, under her wings, behind her horns, even the space beneath her sharp tail blade was made clean.

"I see I came just in time." A gentle voice said, waking Cynder from her euphoria "We can go to the next room when the moles washed you off."

True to the voice's promise, Cynder felt more water as warm as that of the pool wash the foamy substance from her. When the moles were done Cynder felt more refreshed than she ever had before.

After remaining there unmoving for a few more moments the same voice spoke again "They're done Cynder, you can get up now."

Cynder obeyed, getting up very reluctantly. When she got down from the table she stood face-to-face with Ember.

"It's already been an hour?" Cynder complained.

"Aww, no need to worry Cyn, there's more to come!" Ember cheered her up.

"Ember is right Cynder, there are still many more relaxing things to do before the day is done." Rachel confirmed as she led them out of the bath area.

xXx

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"For the love of the Ancestors Sparx! No! Quit asking every five seconds!"

"…"

Shortly after they began their walk Sparx caught up with the group of eight dragons, now following them to their destination. Normally Spyro wouldn't mind having his beloved brother with him, but he was starting to get on his nerves which were already worked to an extent by the constant questions Zeuk gave him.

"…Are we there yet?" Sparx relentlessly asked his foster brother.

Spyro now had a vein bulging on his head, he was prepared to give Sparx a proper response; however the dark blue dragon walking next to Spyro saved the yellow dragonfly "Yes, Sparx. We are here."

"Finally!" Sparx said in relief "Where are we anyway?"

"Yeah, where are we Darman?" Spyro repeated the question, forgetting the annoyance he had towards his brother moments ago.

They were standing at the entrance to a large, rectangular shaped grassy field; several poles with differently colored flags were protruding from the ground towards the sky. There were two poles at the end of each side, both just over two meters apart. About seven meters above the ground between said poles was a net, also about two meters apart both vertically and horizontally.

Another 20 meters ahead of the netted poles stood another pole three meters high, sporting a white flag at its tip. (**Think of this as the goal box like in soccer, only larger. Not too sure how to describe the distance between them on this one, sorry!**)

At the four corners of the field stood more poles, all of them were about ten meters high with a red flag atop of it. At the very center of the field there stood another pole, this one only looking to go five meters up with a blue flag on it.

On the edge of the field nearest to them stood the longest pole of all, this one going up by thirteen meters while sporting a yellow flag at its tip. Finally at the edge of the field furthest from them was the shortest pole. It stood no more than two meters with a brown flag on it.

"This is a Flyball field." Darman informed them "It's where you play…well…Flybal."

"What's Flyball?" Spyro and Sparx asked in unison.

"You never played Flyball before?" Darman asked, surprised at this revelation.

"Nope, Malefor's army never had a field ready for us…" Spyro deadpanned.

"Oh right, hehe…" Darman replied sheepishly.

"Guess that means we should explain it to you?" Michael asked as he approached them.

"Only if you feel up to the challenge of teaching this airhead." Sparx teased as he hit Spyro on the head.

Sparx grinned as he got his brother to look at him accusingly "Watch it Sparx." Spyro threatened "Keep this up and you're sleeping in Cynder's room tonight."

"You wouldn't!" Sparx said feigning fear.

"Try me." Spyro challenged him.

Their brotherly fun was disrupted by Flame clearing his throat loudly "Done yet?"

"Yup!" Sparx stated as he zipped over to Zeuk, hiding behind one of his arched horns.

"Good, now listen up Spyro, I don't want to explain this twice," Michael told the purple dragon, earning him a nod "The pole with the green flag on represents the lowest flying height and the yellow flagged one the highest allowed height for the Chasers, Defenders and Blocker."

"The Defenders refer to the dragons defending the Carrier from the Chasers of the other team." Flame added in "While the Chasers are supposed to retrieve the ball for their Carrier. The Defenders are not allowed to touch the ball while the Chasers are not allowed to hold onto the ball for more than five seconds. If they do hold onto it for longer than that their team will be penalized. Defenders are only allowed to go after Chasers, not Carriers or other Defenders."

"So the Chasers just try to grab the ball? That simple?" Spyro asked in curiosity.

"Mostly yes, however their equipment helps them," Darman explained "The Chasers are allowed to take the ball from the Carriers using either their bare paws, but that is hard to do since the ball is not easy to get a grip on. They mostly use a piece of equipment attached to their tails. It works a lot like the Carrier's, only stronger, allowing them to take the ball from the Carrier."

"How does that thing on their tails even hold the ball in place?" Sparx wondered.

"I don't know the specifics, but it uses some sort of magic to keep the ball pressed against their tails, if the tail is moved too fast it releases it." Michael told the dragonfly.

"Normally each team has one Carrier, three Chasers, two Defenders and one Blocker, all of which have gloves on to blunt their claws along with the tail equipment." Michael continued "The Blocker is the one who remains between the yellow, green and white flagged poles. Do you understand so far?"

"Umm, mostly yes, I'll get it down when we start." Spyro said with a nervous grin.

Michael narrowed his gaze at Spyro for a moment before continuing "Ok then. The Carriers are only allowed to remain within the blue and red flags; this gives the Chasers a fair chance to catch the Carrier off guard and a larger area for the Defenders to look out for."

"But wait," Spyro interrupted "The Defenders are already out numbered, why put them at more of a disadvantage?"

"Because of the gear." Sion supplied "The Defenders have one major advantage over the Chasers. If the Chasers get hit even once with the equipment put on their tail, they have to retreat to their Carrier."

"Wouldn't that hurt? I mean I've seen some seriously dangerous tailblades, a hit from one of them could be lethal." Sparx deduced.

"Normally it would be." Zaph explained to them "However the equipment on their tails is slightly like armor, only a bit lighter for more mobility. It is still hard enough to make the tailblade non-lethal and still soft enough not to injure the Chasers severely."

"Now for the role of the Carrier," Michael pushed on "They are also allowed to try and get the ball from the enemy Carrier, however in doing so the expose themselves to the Chasers more openly and risk penalties, so this is not done often. They are still limited to the red and blue flags should they choose to do so. The Carriers must try to get the ball into those nets, using only their tails to fling the balls in."

"And what do the Blockers do?" Spyro asked, clearly interested by the new game.

"The Blockers are like a mixed role of Chaser and Carrier," Darman explained "They are allowed to intercept the ball like a Chaser while they are also allowed to hold on to the ball for more than five seconds like a Carrier. Lastly, no elements allowed."

"This sounds like fun, I'll be sure to cheer you all on from the side lines…" Sparx said, not liking the fact that he won't be able to join them with the new game.

"But won't we need more players?" Spyro asked when he noticed they only have half of the required participants.

"Normally yes," Flame admitted "But unfortunately we couldn't find enough dragons our age to join us, so we'll have to exclude the Blocker, one Defender and one Chaser."

"Fine by me," Spyro shrugged "Where's the equipment we'll be using?"

"It's in the shack up ahead; Terrador gave us the key to get in." Michael told him while pointing towards said storage building.

All the dragons save for Spyro and Michael went to retrieve the equipment needed for their game. Michael decided now was the best possible time to subtly get information from Spyro.

"Say, Spyro…" Michael began as he looked at the purple dragon.

"Yes?" Spyro replied, waiting for him to continue.

"What do you think about Cynder?"

Spyro considered the question before speaking "She is a good friend and a great fighter, why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious, but that wasn't what I meant," Michael spoke softer to ensure the rest wouldn't overhear him "Do you like her as more than a friend?"

"Well of course," Spyro admitted, shocking Michael with his honesty "We have been through a lot, I would think of us as close friends."

'_Wow he's dense! This is going to be harder than I thought…'_ Michael mentally berated him "Ok, thanks for answering my curiosity. Now let's go help them get the stuff!" _'Hm hm hm, more of a challenge atleast!'_

xXx

Cynder was sure the luxurious bath she stepped out of minutes ago would be the only pleasant surprise waiting for her. That was soon proved wrong when Rachel took her to another much smaller room.

This room had a large cushion in the middle of it and a smaller stool right next to it. There stood a short table behind the stool, sporting many bottles of different colors along with a few tools Cynder was unable to identify. The room itself is very decorated with paintings and a small assortments of colors – ranging from a light lime to a cream pink – brightened what the paintings failed to cover up.

"Go lie down there, a mole will be with you shortly;" Rachel turned to leave, taking Ember with her "Ember will be in the room next to yours."

Cynder complied and not very long after a mole scurried in as foretold by Rachel. This mole looked like most other moles but she had one notable difference; the nails on her paws were colored pink.

"Hello!" the mole greeted cheerfully "My name is Bianca and I will be helping with your claws today!"

"Umm, hi," Cynder greeted a bit awkwardly, unable to match the enthusiasm of the mole "My name is Cynder."

"It's very nice to meet you Cynder!" Bianca told her, not reducing her enthusiasm in the slightest "Now let's get started, put the claw you want me to start with forward."

Deciding to obey the mole, Cynder put her left paw forward, allowing Bianca to check it over. Not very long after starting Bianca spoke again "I must say Cynder, all these fights really took their toll! There is so much I need to do!"

Cynder wanted to ask Bianca what she meant but she was already looking through the various unidentifiable tools until she finally turned around with a rectangular slab of metal in one paw and another strange tool in the other. It had what appeared to be a blunt hook on its tip and the body of the object had many small grooves in it.

Cynder never had a chance to get a good look at the second object as her attention was turned back to Bianca when she spoke "This might take a while Cynder, so just relax."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Cynder just looked on as Bianca stuck the hook under her claws to clean them while using the second tool to shorten her claws slightly.

At first Cynder didn't like the way Bianca was destroying the claws that saved her life many times before, but eventually Bianca used the rectangular object again, this time using its sides to sharpen her newly shortened claws.

This processed was repeated on each paw, finally finishing after nearly an hour. Cynder liked the way her claws looked; they were sharper than before without a doubt. Granted they were shorter, but she was sure they were still just as lethal.

"Finally done!" Bianca cried as she finished with the final claw "Now what color do you want them to be?"

"Color?" Cynder asked in confusion. Why would it matter what color her claws were?

Bianca lifted her own paws into the air to show Cynder what she meant "Yes, color. Do you want to choose or should I choose for you?"

Cynder really wished at this point that Ember was with her, she would have been able to offer her some advice "I really don't know, I think you should choose."

Bianca considered the colors of the dragoness before her and knew what color would match her well. She returned to the table, this time bringing back a vial containing a red liquid "Just sit still for this one Cynder, it won't take as long as the last one."

True to her word, this process only took half the time of the previous one. When Bianca was done Cynder was presented with a mirror, allowing her to admire her new claws '_They actually look kind of nice, I wonder why I never did this before?'_

"Do you like it?" Bianca asked "I really think it suits you well!"

"Yes, I like it," Cynder answered truthfully "Thank you Bianca."

At those words the smile on Bianca's face only got larger "It was my pleasure to help such a gorgues dragoness!" Bianca lowered her voice to a loud whisper "So who's the lucky guy?"

Thoroughly caught off guard by the question, Cynder was at a loss for words "W-What are you talking about?"

The response was all the evidence Bianca needed to confirm her suspicions "Women don't just come here to look better for themselves you know." Bianca gave a knowing grin "Your blush even contradicts what you are saying, so who is he? I promise I won't tell anyone."

Cynder was cornered, even if she denied it Bianca could tell by the heat she felt on her cheeks. Not seeing any other option she decided to go for it "Promise you won't tell anyone?" Bianca nodded eagerly "It's Spyro."

Just like Cynder was caught off guard before, so was Bianca now "The purple savior?"

"Yes." Cynder confirmed.

The previous loud-whisper was now replaced once more by Bianca's cheer-filled loud voice "That is so amazing Cynder! Congratulations!"

"Please not so loud! Someone might hear it." Cynder glanced behind her, half expecting to see said eavesdropper "Remember to keep your promise, don't even tell him..."

That statement quirked Bianca's interest once more "Why not? You two are together aren't you?" Cynder refused to look at Bianca as she spoke "You haven't told him have you?"

Cynder nodded "I tried telling him once, but he didn't hear me," Cynder confessed "I haven't worked up the courage for it yet, that's why I am doing this now."

Bianca gave her a sincere smile "Well I hope this does give you what courage you need, however," Bianca pointed at the black dragoness "I doubt he would fall for you _just_ because of your looks, sure it's a great bonus, but don't forget what really matters."

Cynder wanted to ask the painted mole what she meant, but that opportunity passed when Ember poked her head into the door "Are you done yet Cynder?"

Cynder turned her head towards Ember "Yeah Ember, I'm done. I'll be out just now."

"Ok, I'll be waiting outside with Rachel."

"Think about what I said," Bianca said before her cheerful smile got a mischievous look to it "But don't take your looks for granted either, the next time he sees you, you are going to knock his scales off!"

Cynder smiled warmly at the mole "Thank you Bianca. That was just what I needed."

"Glad I could help, now go," Bianca made small 'shooing' motions "Your friends are waiting and I have more dragons to attend to!"

Following her instructions, Cynder stepped out of the room, meeting the awaiting dragons.

"Your claws look great Cynder!" Ember complimented her "Good color choice."

"Thanks Ember." Cynder took notice of the pink color Ember's claws had taken "Yours look just as nice."

"Why thank you!" Ember said as she gave Cynder a playful shove with her rump "Now for the real eye-catcher!"

Cynder was baffled by what they could possibly do to make them look any better. They had already cleaned them and made their claws more beautiful, what could there be left?

"Please follow me." Rachel said as she led them towards their final beautification treatment.

xXx

"Foul! Over maximum height for Carrier!"

"What! Are you blind Sparx?! I was still in the flying zone!"

"You want to argue with the ref?" Sparx threatened "Ok, penalty shoot against Flame!"

"You can't do th-"

"Yes he can Flame," Quake silenced him before he had a chance to get their team in more trouble "Besides, that was a very reckless dodge, I would have stopped Zeuk long before he hit you."

Flame grunted at this "No matter, even if they score we are still in the lead."

"I still say these teams are unfair, you and Darman played Flyball nearly every day back at the settlement," Sion complained "You even have Quake with his damned speed!"

"Well that doesn't matter," Flame retorted "You have the legendary purple dragon on your side!"

"_Recovering _purple dragon." Spyro shouted in his own defense.

"Fine then, _recovering_ legend," Flame was now feeling very confident as the score was now at 31-7 "You can use one of your elements, just keep them toned down."

Those words gave Spyro a malicious grin "Ok, I'll take that offer!" He turned to his team's Carrier "Mind if I take over for a bit Michael?"

"Uhhh, are you sure you know what to do Spyro?" Michael asked nervously "The Carrier has the toughest job of them all; even with an element it will still be hard."

"Trust me; I got something they won't be expecting."

"Ok..." Michael conceded. Within minutes they landed and swapped their equipment after calling a time out.

"What are you planning Spyro?" Their team Defender questioned "I don't see how an element can make such a difference, especially yours! No offence of course."

"None taken." Spyro said quickly.

"Don't worry Sion, Spyro can do anything!" Zeuk gushed "I have complete faith in you Spyro, but could you maybe tell us what you are planning?"

Spyro turned to the other Chaser "It's a surprise, just wait and see."

_-With Flame-_

"Flame, I really don't think that was a good idea!" The Chaser scolded "Did you forget that even with _one_ element Spyro is still extremely strong, what if he uses ice to slow us down! Or fire to speed himself up?!"

"Relax Zaph, he is still recovering," Flame waved the concerns off "The worst he can do with ice is make a cold breeze and some smoke with fire."

"But how?" Quake asked.

"We'll explain later," Darman sighed "I'm just not looking forward to seeing if he recovered enough to use his elements yet."

Flame turned to the second Chaser "Don't worry Darman! This way it might just become a bit fairer to Spyro. It is his first time after all."

"TIME OVER!" Sparx shouted to both teams "Spyro is now the Carrier of his team and Michael is now the second Chaser. Penalty shot now on for Spyro!"

'_He loves his authority…'_ Spyro thought to himself as he got into position. He carefully took aim as he hovered on one spot. When he was ready he twisted his body quickly, sending the ball flying straight into the suspended net.

"31-10!" Sparx shouted. Flame went to retrieve the ball then he put it on the central pole. Afterwards he retreated towards his own net.

"Spyro!" Michael called to the purple dragon "You need to stay in this box until one of the Chasers gets the ball!"

Slightly embarrassed for forgetting something already explained to him, he hurried into the box, ready to unleash his surprise upon Flame and his team.

"GO!" Sparx shouted, causing Michael and Darman to rush towards the ball, leaving Zeuk and Zaph to catch the other Carriers should they get too close. Darman having practiced a lot easily reached the ball first and flung it towards Flame with pinpoint accuracy.

With no trouble at all Flame caught the ball as he made his way towards the other end of the field where he saw Spyro rushing straight at him "Going straight for me won't work Spyro!" he shouted at his purple friend when he was close to him.

Flame's jaw dropped when in the next instant he felt the weight of the ball leave his tail and he heard Spyro from several meters behind him "I know!"

Baffled by what just happened Flame stood frozen for a moment before regaining his composure and flying to catch the advancing dragon.

Flame had no trouble catching up to Spyro, he also smirked when he saw Zaph going straight for him while Spyro made no effort to dodge. Soon Flame was right behind Spyro and Zaph was flying quickly towards them.

"Got you now Sp-what the…?" The bewildered expression from before returned to Flame's face along with Zaph's as the previously cornered dragon just…vanished.

"Close but not close enough Flame!" They both looked toward their goal net where Spyro stood with a triumphant grin present on his face.

"How? When? What _was_ that?" Flame sputtered out his questions while Zaph just hovered there, jaw dropped and eyes wide.

Spyro chuckled at their expressions "My element!"

xXx

After their claw treatments, Cynder and Ember were given some time to eat as it was already well within the afternoon.

As they were waiting for their food to arrive Cynder decided to prod Ember for more information "How many treatments are still left?"

"Only one more and it's the best of all." Ember responded.

Cynder gave Ember a sweet smile "Please tell me what it is?"

Ember pretended to consider it "Hmmm…Nope!" Ember replied with an equally sweet smile.

"Aww…Give a hint maybe?" Cynder pressed on as their food was placed infront of them.

"Ok." Ember conceded as she took a bite from the berries.

Cynder was not expecting Ember to even give her that much "Really?" She also started eating the berries.

"Sure, but it won't be much," she informed "So far the cleaned us and treated our claws. What's still left for them to improve?"

"But I already thought about that…" Cynder complained.

"Oh relax Cynder!" Ember sighed "Just go with it and finish your food."

They ate the remainder of their meal in silence. Cynder to her own surprise found the meal very enjoyable, even without her beloved meat.

After their meatless meal Rachel returned to take them to their last treatment of the day. She led them from the restaurant through the hallway, passing the nail treatment room.

As they turned a corner the color scheme slowly started changing from a light lime green color to a more cream pink color. Where the colors met they merged together, making a nice looking melody of colors along the hallway.

In the new hallway were several doors, however there were less than in the previous one.

"Are we going to be treated in different rooms again?" Cynder asked.

"No not this time," Rachel replied "Since this process takes so long we usually have two dragons treated together to give them somebody to talk with."

"How long is this going to take then?" Cynder asked.

"It shouldn't take longer than three or so hours." Rachel informed her "By the time you are done there will be some sunlight left, then you can show off to that special person."

Rachel winked at Cynder, causing her to glare at Ember "You told her?"

Ember looked a bit nervous at the death stare she was getting "Uhh…No-"

"I figured it out myself." Rachel saved Ember from the former Terror of the Skies "What else would you be doing here? I don't know who it is though, mind telling me?"

Cynder shook her head "It's a bit private."

Ember giggled at her friend's embarrassed expression "It's ok Cynder, you can tell her! Everyone will know once you tell him right?"

"You haven't told him how you feel yet?" Rachel questioned "Don't take too long with in doing so! Otherwise someone else might beat you to it!"

"I-I know, that's why I am doing this now," She admitted with a blush creeping up on her "For Spyro."

"The purple dragon?" Rachel asked in surprise "If you want to tell him how you feel then you best not take too long, I doubt you are the only one after him, in fact I saw Azure staring at him most of the way here!" They stopped by a large yellow door "Now enjoy this last one, when you're done you won't recognize yourself!" Before they went in Rachel saw the pleading look in Cynder's eyes "Don't worry Cynder, I won't tell anybody."

Reassured by Rachel's promise, Cynder followed Ember into the room. The room looked a lot like the room where she had her claws done, only larger and without the colored vials. The walls were painted a light pink color, so were the cushions only at a darker shade.

Numerous moles were already awaiting them, some of them with bottles in their paws.

"Try not to fall asleep when we start." Ember whispered to Cynder.

Cynder blinked in confusion from Ember's words. She wanted to ask her what she meant but she held her tongue as she got into a comfortable position on the cushion, trusting Ember this time around. Not long thereafter she felt a cool liquid being adhered all over her body.

She slightly lifted her head to see two moles pouring the contents of the bottles onto her as a third one was rubbing her tailblade with a cloth.

"What are you doing?" Cynder asked the moles.

"First time?" One of them returned, earning a nod from Cynder "Well first we will cover your scales in a special ointment while we massage you, this process will take away most of your smaller scars and scratches." The mole pointed to the one rubbing her tailblade "Then we will shine your horns and teeth like she is doing now while the ointment gets absorbed into your scales. Finally we will polish your scales, giving them a beautiful gleam."

"The massage feels wonderful Cynder," Ember informed "So try not to fall asleep while they do it, ok?"

"Ok, but will this really make such a big difference to how I look?" Cynder asked skeptically.

"I promise it will, so for now just enjoy this!" Ember gave a small yawn as she rested her head between her paws.

'_I don't think it's me that has to worry about falling asleep…'_ Cynder thought as she mentally sweat-dropped.

The moles gently massaged the tensed muscles all over Cynder's body. This was to her by far the most pleasant experience she had all day, possibly all her life.

It felt like the many small paws were gently soothing every muscle, feeling like they took all her stress and worries away.

The massage didn't take nearly as long as Cynder hoped it would, she wanted them to keep going! Looking to her side she even saw Ember fast asleep _'Hypocrite…'_

In her half awake state she felt something prying her jaws open, almost causing her to melt the assailant with Poison out of reflex. She stopped herself just in time when reality caught up with her.

A foul tasting paste was put inside her mouth followed by a mole scrubbing her teeth with a very small brush, nearly causing her to gag.

When she was given a bucket filled with water she wasted no time in washing her maw clean of the disgusting taste. After she spat out the final remnants of the taste the bucket was taken away and the rest of the moles started shining her horns.

Cynder didn't even feel the gentle rubbing on her horns, causing her to fall asleep and completely miss the final part of the treatment.

xXx

"Game end!" Sparx shouted, enjoying his authority as much as Volteer enjoys reading "Flame's team wins, 45-20!"

"I can't believe we lost this!" Michael shouted to the heavens before he dropped his head in defeat "I can't believe we lost this…" he repeated in a near whisper as a cloud of depression set upon him.

"Is he always like this?" Spyro whispered to Sion.

"Hahaha yeah," Sion said as he laughed at the depressed ice dragon's swift mood change "He never takes losing well, which only makes it funnier for the rest of us!"

They all went to land by the storage shed to deposit the equipment they used for the day. However there was one question that Flame was hell-bent on getting answered.

"Spyro, what did you do during the match?"

"Yeah I'd also like to know, I've never seen that before!" Zeuk added.

"Uhm, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Spyro said, feeling uncomfortable with being the centre of attention. Instead he occupied himself with removing his Carrier gear. He also knew he would have to give them an answer to get them to be quiet.

"You know what they mean!" Sion joined them "The way you just disappeared and reappeared after you took over being the Carrier from Michael, what's more, why did you stop doing it?!"

"Maybe it is similar to what Darman can do?" Zaph suggested, causing all their attention to be turned to said Void dragon "What do you think Darman?"

Even less comfortable with the attention Darman was at a complete loss for words "Well I don't think…I-It could be?...But I-"

At this point Spyro decided to save him from his torment "No, it's nothing like Darman's element," all attention returned to him "It's an ability called Dragon Time, though I thought I lost it after I made that Time Crystal."

"Then how were you able to do it?" Michael asked while sitting a bit away from the group with a cloud of depression still over him.

"Get over it Michael!" Flame shouted at the emo-dragon, only causing him to sink deeper into his own depression.

"Honestly I have no idea," Spyro admitted, ignoring Michael's mood and Flame's outburst "I tried using it back when I first met you, but I couldn't hold it for more than a second so it failed. I tried again this time and I was able to hold it for nearly two seconds and I couldn't keep using it since I am still recovering."

"It's great to hear you are recovering Spyro," Quake said in a slightly bored tone "But what _exactly _does this Dragon Time do?"

"Well…" Spyro began, causing Michael to come a bit closer to hear what he has to say "Whenever I use it I am able to slow everything around me down to a near standstill while I remain at my normal speed. Even at full strength and control over my abilities I can't hold it for very long. I also can't stop time completely."

"That _is _an interesting ability," Flame snorted sarcastically "Sorry for saying you could use an element, won't be making that mistake again!"

"Heheh, I told you I-"

"WOW!" Spyro was cut off by a deafening voice next to him "That's _another_ amazing thing about you!" said voice nearly caused Spyro to go into a fighting stance, however he saw it was only Zeuk gushing over him…again.

"Not so loud idiot!" Zaph shouted as he tackled his brother "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry Zaph! But I was only speaking the truth!" Zeuk said in his defense.

"Just don't do it again!" Zaph scolded as he went to deposit his Chaser equipment.

After the brotherly scuffle they all put their equipment away, leaving Spyro with a new activity to keep himself busy with.

"Come on guys!" Michael shouted, the depression seemingly gone "Let's head back get something to eat!"

Sion just gawked at his quick recovery "Since when do you recover so fast?!"

"I think I know why…" Spyro pointed at a golden light relaxing atop of the green colored horns "Who better to restore a sarcastic ball of energy than a _glowing_ sarcastic ball of energy?"

Sparx flew up to his brother and poked him on his snout as he spoke "I didn't see _you_ trying to cheer him up!" Sparx accused.

"I know Sparx calm down!" Spyro shook his head in an attempt to be rid of the obnoxious poking "I was only messing with you!"

"Hey! Are you two coming?" They both turned to see Sion shouting at them, only now noticing they were the only ones left standing there.

"Coming!" They both shouted back.

"Race you there you purple lizard!" Sparx teased.

"You're on you over glorified mosquito!" Spyro returned.

Just as they took off Spyro grabbed Sparx, trapping him in his paw as he ran forward.

"Cheater!" Sparx yelled as he tried to escape from his prison, only earning him a laugh from Spyro.

xXx

"I hope you both enjoyed your time at Beauty Corner!" Rachel said to the two young dragonesses "And I must say, you two look amazing!"

"Well I knew I would get the best possible service with a beautiful dragoness such as yourself." Ember said as she gave Rachel the cutest face she could make.

"Why thank you Ember!" Rachel said as she got a sly smirk "But you tried this last time remember? No discounts this time."

Ember let her face fall "Awww…"

Cynder gave little attention to the two dragonesses joking around. She was still amazed at what only a day's worth of treatment was capable of! She was sure she didn't look like this in the morning! _'I can't wait to see Spyro will think of this!'_

"Anyway Rachel, we should get going. Fla- I mean Spyro is waiting for us." Ember caught herself from making a tease-inducing mistake.

Rachel only giggled, not at all missing her little slipup "I would think so! Good luck to you Cynder," Rachel gave her farewell "Now remember you two, when they see you they won't be able to talk for a bit, be sure to nudge them a bit to really get to the good stuff!" Rachel said with a wink, causing both dragonesses to blush and rush out of the store.

xXx

"Why am I coming along again?" Flame complained as he followed Michael and Spyro "I'm really hungry and you could have done this without me!"

"It won't take that long Flame, we just have to return the key to Terrador." Spyro reassured the hot blooded dragon.

"And there's a little something extra waiting for both of you…" Michael whispered to himself.

"Huh? Did you say something Michael?" Spyro asked the water dragon.

"No nothing Spyro,"

They kept walking at a steady pace towards the Dragon Citadel, passing many homes and stores closing for the day. As they got closer to the Dragon Citadel Michael started complaining about a sore paw he got from catching the ball wrong today, causing them to walk somewhat slower.

'_Come on…Where are you?'_ Michael thought to himself, not wanting Spyro to hear more this time. As if thinking so drew them in, Michael saw Ember and Cynder walking towards the Dragon Citadel.

Without missing a beat Michael turned to the two dragons behind him "Oh look! There's Cynder and Ember!" He pointed towards the approaching dragonesses "I'll go give the key to Terrador, meet me by the cafeteria when you're done!"

"Does his mood swings happen often?" Spyro asked as he stared at the sprinting dragon.

"No, he only does that when something's up," he looked towards the dragonesses and saw why. In an instant he froze in place, jaw dropping open.

"Flame? Is something wrong?" Not getting a response from the fire dragon Spyro followed his gaze and saw why he froze up.

Cynder and Ember were walking towards them like Michael said. Usually this wouldn't be such a big deal; however something was very different this time.

'_Has to be a trick of the sun…'_ Spyro thought to himself, yet he was not able to tear his gaze from Cynder. She seemed to literally be _shining_ in the evening sun. As if that wasn't enough her horns and tailblade looked absolutely perfect. Lastly her claws even seemed to have taken up a different color and gotten sharper somehow.

Then she did something oh so basic, yet it caused him to nearly melt on the spot "Hi Spyro."

xXx

**A/N**

**Ohhh a semi-cliffhanger AND right after I took **_**weeks**_** to update, sorry! D:**

**For this chapter a very special thanks to RougeMelodyAngel for describing the inside of a beauty salon as I have not been in one and probably never will be…**

**While I was on vacation I got a very good question in a review from ****coincidencless: ****"**I wonder what defines the 'corrupted' guardians as corrupt, since they seem pretty likeable to me. I'm also intrigued by the elementals, except for the fact that they kill _everyone_ in their way.**"  
Now both of those are very good questions with simple answers, I'll start with the Corrupted Guardians:  
When you think of something as evil (corrupted in this case) you automatically assume that they will be an ass to every living being, however I doubt they will have the same attitude towards their allies as they will have towards their enemies (Hope that answers that one!).  
As for the Elementals killing everything, well 'everything' in this case was caught off guard and therefore they weren't prepared. A simple example of this is using a fire extinguisher to deal with an entire burning building; it just won't work whereas something bigger will. A while back XxTheSomeonexX even said that fire dragons would have been better at dealing with the Ice Elementals, which they would have. Fire. Melts. Ice.  
I hope this answered your questions coincidencless ^^**

**Now for something I should have done a long time ago: Thanking those who supported me so far (don't you dare skip this!)**

**Darman700 for giving me the courage to have written this story and continued to support me all the way!**

**MurusasakiKuroAkai for giving me his OC Michael (who is my favorite character to write at the moment :D) to use and continued support.**

**Wolfartist117 for pointing out that Cynder was very OOC early on in the story and continued support.**

**RougeMelodyAngel for betaing, providing info on quite a few things (including the contents of this chapter) and support!**

**XxTheSomeonexX for helping me improve my writing from being terrible to readable :D**

**Zizima for his continued support through his smug messages.**

**Darkness Oversoul for helping me fix Cynder up a bit more and support.**

**HiImLuffy for his…creative reviews (made my day with those xD)**

**Xerneas for providing me with Appolonir and Clayf (Not used that much yet, but I **_**am **_**getting there).**

**Phoenix of Decay for the support :D**

**I hope you will all keep enjoying Elemental Darkness as it goes on!**

**Now enough of this nearly 1k worded A/N (flames incoming).**

**As always, constructive criticism is welcomed as it helps me improve, but please do NOT flame. Flames on a computer are merely a cheap imitation of what the dragons are capable of, therefore they are useless. So don't waste time in making them! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**Let me start of by saying **_**SORRY!**_

**I was recently in a car accident, wherein I broke my leg. To make matters worse a blood clot formed and went into my lungs, sending me into a coma due to air deprivation for 2 weeks and a further week of ICU where I was unable to write anything due to a constant drug high.**

**On a lighter note, Elemental Darkness finally has over 1000 views and 40 reviews! (YAY!) Thank you all so much for your continued support!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Spyro or any companies that has anything to do with it.**

"Talking normally."

'_Thinking to self'_

**Author notes (Yes they shall remain in bold)**

**On to Chapter 7!**

xXx

In a sense of saying, the Ice Elementals were _pissed_.

They had spent a good portion of the day making their way back to the shore and they spent the rest of it freezing only the minimally required area to get themselves and the obelisk going.

With only the last single-icicle Elemental remaining pushing the obelisk forward while the remaining lesser Elementals froze the path, the waves weren't helping at all. The speed they were going at was agonizing.

They all knew that if they had just two or three more Elementals, regardless of rank, this would only take another day at the most. Yet they didn't have that, so their voyage back to Dante's Freezer would take at least twice as long.

Even with these numerous setbacks they were motivated. Why? Soon their Earth counterparts would be by their side, allowing them to start their raid on their next target; the Electric Elementals.

xXx

"Hi Spyro."

The greeting was nothing out of the ordinary, so why wouldn't he have an intelligent response? "Uh…C-Cynder...Wow-" Spyro stammered, not able to find his voice "H-Hi."

She knew she changed a bit, but she wasn't expecting _this_. She took full advantage of his state as she moved closer to him "Spyro, is something wrong?"

Normally he would have been embarrassed at his state, yet the creature who was now very close to him had his full attention, he knew that if she came any closer he would only get worse "No no no!" He insisted weakly "I'm f-fine!"

She knew it was cruel teasing Spyro like this, but she couldn't resist! Soon enough he would get used to her new looks "You don't look fine, did you catch a fever today or something?" Cynder extended a paw and put it on his forehead.

The sudden contact caused his eyes to widen and a blush redder than fire itself to make its way onto his face. He jerked back in surprise, regaining his composure somewhat.

With his head a bit clearer he was able to make sense of what he was seeing. He now saw that Cynder was in fact not very far off from shining. Every one of her scales were like onyx gems gleaming in the late afternoon sun, giving her a truly mystical appearance. Looking closer he could find no dirty marks or even scars. Her horns, wing spikes and tailblade were more beautiful than he ever thought possible, they were white as pearls and flawless as diamonds; try as he might he could not find a single scratch, crack or even a stain on them.

Her claws were the same story. They were a rose red color, brilliantly complimenting her underbelly scales' color. Finally he met her eyes. To him, that was the real killer. Her brilliant emerald eyes shone even brighter than her scales, they were radiating kindness. For the life of him he could not look away from those mesmerizing eyes.

Only then did he realize he had been staring at her for Ancestors know how long, and he had done so quite obviously "S-Sorry!" He apologized before he smiled warmly "You look great Cynder."

Teasing intentions aside she returned his smile "Thank you Spyro."

'_Calm down…It's still just Cynder…'_ he argued to himself, yet at the same time another part of his mind was arguing strongly against it '_JUST Cynder? Look at her! You can't lie to yourself like that!'_

Shaking his head in an attempt to snap himself completely out of his stupor nearly worked as he tried to speak again "We…We should probably get going, everyone is waiting at the cafeteria." He turned his attention to the other two dragons present "Flame let's go-Flame?"

Flame stood motionless staring out into space, his mind not registering anything going on around him "I think I broke him." Ember said humorously "I might be able to wake him up." In a swift motion she was beside him and she nudged him with her rump.

This action caused Flame to jump back and yelp in surprise as he looked over to the pink dragoness "H-Hi Ember!" He said a bit loudly.

Cynder rolled her eyes as she spoke "Come on you two love dragons; let's go get something to eat."

From that Flame received a blush betraying his red scales and Ember gave Cynder a 'You're one to talk' look before she agreed "Ok, let's go Flame," once again it looked like Flame was frozen "Do I have to keep nudging you there?"

At the mere idea of physical contact with her the scale betraying blush increased in intensity "N-n-n-no! I can walk just fine on my own!"

"Good." Ember said as she took the lead "Come one Cynder, let's go."

Cynder nodded and obeyed, walking next to Ember as Flame and Spyro followed suit.

Cynder gave a glance back and saw the stares they were getting "You know they are just going to stare at our behinds if we walk in the front right?"

Ember giggled softly "Hmhmhm, I know."

"You're terrible."

"But isn't it fun seeing their expressions?" Ember stated more than asked.

"…Yes…" Cynder admitted. The closest she got to a reaction like this with Spyro was when she started their game of tag after they woke up. That memory however caused Cynder to heat up in the face as well.

'_Why would she make herself look like that?'_ Spyro raked his brain _'Maybe she is trying to impress me? No that can't be it…'_ He kept searching for an answer until an unnervingly likely one found its way to him _'She must be trying to impress another dragon! I can't let that happen! Maybe I could ask Flame or Michael for help? I also need to find out who is trying to steal her from me…'_ This bothered him more than anything else at that moment. He knew he liked Cynder for who she is. She has always been beautiful to him, now she was just wow. He also knew now that he was – in fact – a very jealous dragon.

He dwelled within his own thoughts for so long he didn't even notice they entered the cafeteria until he heard a few voices calling out.

"Hey Ember! Looking good!" A voice belonging to Sion said loudly.

"You two look very nice." Darman commented.

"Good to see you finally made it!" Michael called out. In an instant many eyes fell on him, awaiting the inevitable teasing "What?" He shrugged off the disappointed looks "Let's eat, I don't think they gave you two much food there!"

The rest of the evening was a blur to him. Maybe it was him being tired from his day long Flyball. Maybe it was the fact that he regained some of his powers. Maybe it was the way Cynder looked. But what most probably got him to lose what little grip on reality he had left was when he retold the day, specifically about how he started regaining his powers. When he told that part Cynder gave a quick "That's great!" and hugged him.

He wasn't sure how long the hugged lasted; he wasn't sure how much Michael teased them; he wasn't even sure at what time he fell asleep. The last thing he remembered was Cynder's intoxicating smell during that hug.

xXx

In an unknown location two dragons were sitting completely still, eyes closed while a third was happily lazing on the floor and a forth was combating boredom to no avail.

"Come on Thundron!" Flake complained as she tried to get the larger dragon to stand "Quit being so lazy! I'm bored!"

The Corrupted Electricity Guardian lazily opened an eye half way "Leave me alone and go bother the old geezers, I'm tired…"

"You're _always_ tired!" She took a few steps back until she was far enough to get a running start to charge the lazy dragon "Get up!"

Mere moments before she collided with Thundron he moved his tail between them, stopping her in her tracks "Why does someone so lazy get to be so fast? You're not even a damned fire dragon!"

In response he just gave her a yawn and a few short words "Don't know, don't care, and don't wanna be awake now."

Without warning the one with a clubbed tail's eyes shot open "Appolonir, I just felt something from the Elementals."

"Have they been awoken?" Appolonir asked, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"No." Clayf responded simply "I believe they must be close to it to be able to reach me even here."

"In that case we must prepare. Flake!" Appolonir bellowed.

Being the smallest of them all the young Corrupted dragon ran towards the commanding voice in slight fear and anticipation "Yes? Is it time to go?"

"Remain patient, it is not yet time." Appolonir said in a parental tone "However that moment draws near. I called you to let you recite your story one more time, do everything right this time."

"Awwww, do I have to?" Flake complained.

"Do you have anything better to do?" The lazy electricity dragon called from his position.

"Point taken…" Flake sighed as she focused on changing her voice to one that sounded more scared and vulnerable "My name is Glacia. My parents were k-killed during a raid, since then I have been on my own. I inherited my element from my family. I was cornered three days ago by soldiers of the Dark Army, I was forced to exhaust my element and since then I could not use it.

Appolonir smirked "Good, and why don't you want friends?"

With the same tone Flake continued "Before the raid I was teased a lot for having such a different element." She returned to her normal voice "I know the rest; I don't feel like saying all that mushy stuff again."

Appolonir snorted, he knew how hard headed she could be "Very well, that was good enough." His attention returned to Clayf "How long do you think it will take for them to reach their destination?"

"They will arrive the day after tomorrow." Flake answered for him, earning her a strange look "I can still feel their locations you know."

"Don't get too used to it," Clayf told her "Once you leave here you will be so drained you will only barely be able to understand and command them."

"The drain is that much?" Flake asked in surprise.

"Do not forget this prison was made to seal us in entirely, getting you out will require a great deal of power which we all will contribute to, you will just be contributing the least." Appolonir spoke to her while also extending it to the rest of them.

"You should all just conserve your energy like me then, not like we can recover anything while we're trapped here."

"Thundron has a point. We shall all rest until the planned date." The sickle tailed dragon spoke.

Flake merely grunted in acceptance, not really wanting to get into another argument with the older dragons again _'Just two more days…Just two more days…Just two more days…' _Flake kept reminder herself to stave off her boredom, once again to no avail _'Two full days!'_

"There is one more thing we must do to your little story…" Appolonir spoke threateningly.

Flake rolled her eyes "Do you want to change my story _again_?"

"No, I merely want to make it more believable when you arrive there," Appolonir lifted a claw "Don't struggle."

A fearful look came to Flake "W-What are you doing?!"

"You cannot expect them to believe you were cornered by the Dark Army while being forced to exhaust your element and escape without a scratch…" With every word Appolonir took a step closer to the young dragon "This is your duty _Glacia_, stand still and take this as an honor. You will be free from this wretched prison!"

Dread now filled her eyes. She kept backing up in a vain attempt to escape from the approaching pain. She kept doing so until she hit a wall behind her.

Now her story would be mostly true. She had been cornered, she would be injured and soon her element would be gone for some time. Her instincts were screaming at her to defend herself, to try and freeze the approaching threat.

Yet her logic overrode those instincts.

Even if she could fight off Appolonir who completely outclassed her, she would not be out of danger. Clayf with just as much combat prowess as Appolonir would strike next; and he would do so not with the intention to just injure her.

She also had to worry about Thundron and his unnatural speed. He could just rocket in and knock her down while she was trying to keep Appolonir at bay.

She accepted what was to come next, yet her muscles remained tight. She would defend herself as best she can to minimize the pain while not fighting back.

When the assault started Appolonir primarily used his sickle like tail tip to cut into Flake's hide, imitating the injuries that a blade would cause while hitting her with the back of his claws to imitate an enemy with a club. Even though he didn't aim to kill her, he still attacked very close to her vital areas, making it seem like her enemies went for the kill.

The onslaught continued for what felt like hours to Flake but in reality it was only ten minutes. She now had many, many small cuts and bruises decorating her body, the latter being invisible due to the lack of lighting in their prison. She also adorned a few deeper wounds, some even threatening her life at that moment.

"Freeze the immediately threatening wounds over, you can just tell them you did so during your final bid to save yourself." Appolonir said in a neutral tone.

As far as lies went, this one would certainly contain large chunks of the truth.

xXx

The next morning came slowly for Cynder. She spent many hours lying awake in her room, thinking about the events of the day.

She could not remember the last time she had so much _fun_. The majority of her day was spent at a place that was, according to Ember, 'a dragoness' best friend'. She now knew why. It was simply heavenly being there, she was apprehensive at first but that melted away after the first part of what she had to do.

After her time there she went to where Ember and Michael planned to get Spyro and Flame to let them show off their new looks. Spyro's expression did _not_ disappoint. He was at a complete loss for words as she hoped for.

When the gaping ended they went to the cafeteria. She occasionally glanced back to see Spyro staring at her. She was not sure if she imagined it or not, but he looked concerned with something. This was one of the main reasons she was awake for so long. What would he be concerned about?

Upon their arrival in the cafeteria they were greeted by Sion. Cynder did not miss the way he deliberately only commented on how Ember looked. The thought of him not yet seeing her as a friend was depressing but understandable, after all she did murder his mother…

She stayed depressed for a while after that, however that depression vanished when Spyro mentioned that his powers were starting to recover! Without thinking she hugged him out of the joy she felt for him.

She did not regret in doing so, but her black scales still got a tinge for red in them. Even though Michael was on her side, he simply could not let the opportunity slide. For the majority of their meal he kept poking fun at them. Like how her scales were positively glowing, how Spyro could double for a statue at that moment. She did agree with that last one.

Overall the day had been incredible. She got a full beauty treatment; she now had _two_ dragons to help her win Spyro over which she was very thankful for and she even learned that Spyro was recovering!

When morning came she was shaken from her dreamless sleep by a loud knock on the door "Miss Cynder, are you awake?"

The voice sounded vaguely familiar. Not particularly somebody close to her, but still somebody she knew "Yes, you can come in."

The door slowly creaked open. The dragon that walked in was none other than the wind dragon Laciter "The Guardians request to speak with you. It regards what is to be done today."

She lazily stretched her stiff limbs as she spoke "Very well, I will be there shortly."

After she finished her lazy stretching she left her room to head to the Guardians '_If they want me there then they will probably want Spyro there as well.'_ She went towards Spyro's to wake the purple dragon.

"Spyro? Are you in there?" She called out as she knocked on the door.

"He's not in there. What are you doing here anyway?" a voice asked from behind her.

She spun around to see Sparx hovering there "Good morning to you too Sparx," Cynder greeted sarcastically "The Guardians wanted to see me so I thought they might want him as well, do you know where he is?"

"Any reason why I should tell the one who wanted to eat me just the other day?" In response to his question he saw Cynder spreading her wings, maw wide open "Ok ok! Don't eat me!" He said somewhat seriously, even though he knew she wouldn't do it "The Guardians already sent that earth dragon, Morris I think, to get him."

"Do you know what they want to see us for?" Cynder asked, truly curious as to why they would get them so early in the morning.

"I do know, but I won't be telling you," Sparx saw Cynder was about to make similar movements as she did not so long ago "And _don't_ threaten me, I won't tell you because it's a sensitive subject." That seemed to calm her down a bit _'at least she knows when not to push it.'_ "The Guardians will tell you when you get there, speaking of which, don't make them wait, get going!"

Not even sparing the dragonfly a second glance she went directly to the usual meeting room. Along the way she saw a few moles carrying trays of food, cushions and other objects along the hallways _'Must be for breakfast.' _Cynder mused as they passed her.

Upon her arrival at the meeting room all eyes turned to her. In all there were seven dragons – including Spyro – and chief Prowlus. She recognized almost all of the dragons; Terrador, Cyril, Volteer, Morris. To her surprise and shame – due to regretful memories – she saw Axen along with a young electricity dragoness she did not recognize.

It wasn't very hard to deduce that this dragoness was very close to her own age. She had a longer, sleeker body than Cynder while her tail was also longer than hers. At the tip of said tail was barbed, getting hit by that would obviously _not_ be a pleasant experience.

Her scales were a light yellow color, akin to that of what one would see should you look at the sun. Her underbelly was a pale golden color; it was a slightly darker shade than her body scales. Her horns were short and straight, contrasting with the length of her body, yet they were still long enough to be useful in battle. Lastly Cynder got a look at her eyes. Her eyes were a brown color and upon meeting Cynder's emerald eyes, hers seemed to fill with a mixture of fear, anger and sadness. Cynder immediately knew that she was once again the cause of pain towards another young dragon.

Her thoughts on the matter were interrupted when Spyro greeted her "Good morning Cynder!" She could see that he was still a bit nervous talking to her, most likely due to her looks still affecting him in a way.

"Good morning Spyro." She returned the greeting cheerfully, but her voice still betrayed some of her regretful feelings.

Axen merely looked at her with disgust as he spoke "Why is _that_ here?"

Spyro was about to defend Cynder, but Terrador beat him to it "I do not care of your petty judgment Axen, however you _will_ show respect to the ones we consider heroes while you are within Warfang!" His stern voice left no room for argument from the single horned dragon.

Axen snorted at the tone, yet was forced to accept it as he was just a guest "Very well, now get this meeting started, I do not wish to stay here any longer than necessary."

"Yes, yes, we will start soon," Cyril spoke "However proper introductions are in order first. Spyro, Cynder, I believe you two know all the dragons here except young Amber." he gestured towards the yellow dragoness who is doing a very good job at hiding her fear.

'_I really don't hope she lost someone close because of me…'_ Cynder thought to herself as she was attempting and failing to hide her guilt.

Axen whispered something to the yellow dragoness, causing her to relax a little bit more "I apologize for her behavior; however she lost both her parents to a flying murderer."

Terrador narrowed his eyes at the comment as Cynder was hit by yet another wave of guilt. He could not defend her as he technically did not specify who it was.

"Axen, if I may ask; why are you here? Are you moving the settlement here?" Spyro inquired, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"Has it been three months?" Axen returned to which Spyro shook his head "That answers that, as for _why_ I am here, you will find out soon enough."

"Very well, we shall proceed with the day's event." Volteer said to start the brief meeting.

"Quite, this concerns the passing of our friend Ignitus." Cyril spoke carefully, knowing the subject was very sensitive for Spyro.

Spyro looked like he was about to become depressed, but he was able to recover fast enough to hide the majority of it.

"We shall have a memorial service, to honor his great sacrifice that saved this world." Axen spoke, his voice betraying his own sadness for the loss of his friend.

'_That explains why they are here'_ Cynder deduced "At what time does the memorial start?"

"It will start when the sun is at the peak of its global parabolic traveling." Volteer answered.

"And it will be held in the Gardens." Cyril said before Volteer could give any more overly complicated answers.

"We will inform the rest of the city after this meeting; we just thought you would want to know first," Terrador said in a soothing voice "We would also like you to be young Amber's guides for the remainder of the day."

"She has been in the infirmary for several days before you came, I would like her to be here and get a proper education." Axen explained.

"You may go; we shall see you at the Gardens later today." Terrador said as he dismissed the three dragons.

xXx

"I am sorry to bring this up so soon, but can we please get to the other matter at paw?" Prowlus asked seriously.

"We should. I trust Zaak and Laciter already explained the gist of this problem?" Terrador asked the large fire dragon.

"They mentioned the return of the Elementals; I pray that was a twisted joke?"

"I wish it were," Terrador said grimly "A few days ago a cheetah warrior named Hunter found the Obelisk of Earth. Since that news reached us chief Prowlus has sent out a few warriors to search for the Obelisk as there is a method to retrieve it."

"Unfortunately I have lost contact with two of them, I fear the worst if these 'Ice Elementals' are as bad as you say they are." Prowlus reported.

"Do you know if they have found the Obelisk yet?" Axen voiced the troubling question.

"If they have every earth dragon would feel it. When the Earth and Electricity Elementals are awakened they send out a tremor and blast of energy. It will be miniscule, making it invisible to other dragons," Volteer explained, not even trying to overdo his sentences "Both energies will feel unnatural and we will know when those two have awoken."

"What of the Corrupted Guardians? Do you know if they have been set free?"

"That will not be possible without the combined efforts of all the Elementals, their prison was made with the power of past Guardians," Cyril informed them "We cannot allow that to happen, those dragons have been corrupted by the same darkness as the Dark Master."

"Basically they each have powers similar to that of Malefor." Terrador finished.

"What do you propose we do?" Axen asked with increased worry.

"For now we must continue searching for the Obelisk of Earth, Cyril will explain how to detain it." Terrador answered, allowing Cyril to speak.

xXx

"So Amber, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" Spyro asked the smaller dragoness.

"Well I was hatched in a small village in the Valley of Avalar where I lived for most of my life, but during a raid by the Terror of the Skies four years ago I lost my parents and my little brother." She answered the purple dragon.

"H-How did you know Ignitus?" Cynder asked, trying to overcome the reality that she ruined yet another dragon's life.

"After the war escalated Axen made the settlement in the mountains with the help of Ignitus. One day I was having trouble learning how to use a new technique, that's when I met him."

_-Flashback-_

_In the training area a young Amber was attempting to learn a technique many electricity dragons knew, how to charge your tail and claws with electrical energy._

_For several days she had been slashing away at training dummies designed exactly for this. However not once was she able to deliver the desired shock enhanced blow._

_She was panting, crouching down on the floor in a short break to regain some of her energy._

_When she finally got up to try again she heard a voice from behind her "You know you shouldn't push yourself that much."_

_She turned to face the unknown dragon. She saw Ignitus standing behind her with a scowl on his face "It is very unhealthy to spend so much energy and not give your body sufficient time to recover."_

"_I-I'm sorry master Ignitus!"_

"_Do not apologize, rest." He looked around the area, seeing many slashed dummies "What are you trying to learn?"_

"_To enhance my strikes with electricity, master Ignitus." She said in a respectful tone._

"_You can just call me Ignitus," he got a considerate look on his face "Come to think of it I believe I know this technique, only with fire of course, I might be able to assist you."_

"_That would be an honor ma- Ignitus!" She quickly corrected herself from going against the Fire Guardian's whishes._

"_Good, but I won't be teaching an exhausted student. Go home and rest. We will start tomorrow."_

_-End Flashback-_

"Since that day we talked and trained often, he is a great mentor," Amber smiled at the happy memories "He even mentioned you a few times of the training he gave you."

Like Amber, Spyro happily smiled at the pleasant memories of his time with the Fire Guardian.

"If you don't mind me asking…" Amber began softly as she turned to Cynder "Axen told me your name is Cynder, a-are you the same Terror of the Skies?"

"Yes…" Cynder said as she looked away from the dragoness.

"Then what are you doing here! You should not b-"

"That's enough Amber!" Spyro snapped, shocking the other dragoness into silence "She has more than made up for her past crimes. If Cynder had not been with me then Malefor would still be alive."

"That still does _not _excuse what she did!" Amber returned just as angrily "I had to watch as she ripped of my father's wings as he tried to lure her away and how she gutted my mother! Do you know what that feels like?!"

"That was not her choice! She was controlled by Malefor!"

At this point Cynder could barely keep her tears back. She could not take it anymore; she stormed away, not caring where she went.

Spyro gave the dragoness a death glare as he spoke "You judge her before you even get to know her. Ignitus would have been disappointed in you; he gave his life to save her! You just trampled on his dying act."

Not waiting for her response he ran after Cynder, hoping to help her with the immense pain she has to endure.

xXx

"I can't find them; think the Guardians sent them on another task?" A pink scaled dragoness asked.

"No I don't think they would, after all we have to be at the Academy tomorrow." A blue horned dragon replied "Let's keep looking; it's about time you apologize Sion."

"I know," Sion said with a sigh "I'm still not forgiving her though, but I will say sorry for attacking her."

"Twice." Ember corrected.

"Twice." Sion agreed.

"Let's check the Gardens maybe they'll be there." Michael suggested.

"Good a place as any, let's g-"

"That's enough Amber!" a loud voice prevented Sion from finishing his sentence.

"Amber?" Ember said in confusion "Think it's the same one from the settlement?"

"How can it be? Amber is still recovering from that nasty boulder incident." Michael reasoned, however the next voice confirmed otherwise.

"That still does _not_ excuse what she did!"

"That sounds like Amber, but why is she yelling?" Sion asked to no one in particular.

"I think we should find out," Michael said as he looked for the source "It sounded like it came from there." He pointed to the other side of a row of houses.

The trio of dragons ran towards the source of the shouting, however as they rounded a corner Cynder stormed past them, tears leaking from her eyes.

"That can't be good, I'll go after her." Sion said as he stormed off after the hurting dragoness.

Michael and Ember both looked at the direction that she came from. They saw two dragons glaring at each other; the purple one looked like he was only barely keeping himself from ripping the other apart.

Before their fears were realized the purple dragon ran past them as if they weren't there in the direction of Cynder.

"What…just happened?" Michael asked cluelessly.

"I think I know, I just really hope I'm wrong." Ember said as she and Michael walked towards the remaining dragoness.

"Amber? We heard shouting, what happened?" Michael asked as he approached the enraged dragoness.

"The Terror of the Skies, _Cynder_," She practically spat the last word out "Is being kept in the city, what's worse it's getting protected by the purple dragon!"

"Oh no…" Michael shook her head "What did you do Amber?"

"I did what was right!"

"I don't think you were told the whole story, she may be the same dragoness as the Terror of the Skies," Ember explained "But she truly has changed, she is kind, not at all what she used to be."

xXx

"Cynder wait!" Sion shouted after the much faster Cynder.

"Leave me alone! I don't need anyone else reminding me of what I did!"

"I'm not here for that! Please just hear me out, I want to apologize!"

Those words caused Cynder to falter in her speed, causing her to come to a standstill "For what?" She asked as she tried to wipe the tears from her face.

"I'm sorry for attacking you the way I did, both times," Sion started "I wanted to tell you that I want to give you a second chance."

"You…You're serious?" Cynder asked, daring to gain hope.

"Yes, I won't be able to forgive what you have done, but I will accept you as you are now, I won't hold what you have done against you anymore." Sion answered her truthfully "Now what happened back there?"

"Some dragoness named Amber," Spyro answered from behind him, giving Cynder a chance to recover. He explained everything that occurred between them and why Cynder is in her current state.

"What Amber said is true unfortunately," Sion admitted, not liking this situation at all "But I am sure Michael and Ember are explaining things to her, Amber is understanding, just give her some time to process it all."

"She won't forgive me that easily." Cynder said as she thought about what Amber said.

"She won't forgive you that easily," Sion confirmed "However I am sure she will give you another chance, like I am doing now."

"Thank you Sion, it really means a lot to me." Cynder told him sincerely.

"Just be sure not to waste it, ok?" Sion pleaded, he wanted to know Cynder better.

"I won't, I promise." Cynder vowed.

"Great!" Sion exclaimed, his normally cheerful and energetic demeanor returning "Now let's go find Amber!"

xXx

"T-That can't be true!" Amber denied, mostly to herself "She killed everyone! You won't understand, both your parents are still alive, Sion-"

"Was looking for Cynder to apologize." Michael interjected sternly "He knows that Cynder can't be held responsible for what she did before Spyro freed her."

"But Sion's mother was killed in cold blood in front of him, how can he just forgive her?" Amber asked, feeling betrayed that her friends trusted that _monster_.

"He didn't _forgive_ her," Ember enlightened "He's only apologizing for attacking her, sort of like you did now. He is giving her a chance again."

"Please Amber," Michael asked gently "Just give her a chance; she really isn't as bad as she seems."

After some time thinking about it Amber conceded "Ok…but only because I trust you all…"

"Thank you Amber," Ember was glad that some hostility would be lifted between her two friends.

"So what are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be recovering from the boulder incident?" Michael asked in an attempt to lighten the tension, yet he was still truly curious as to why Amber was here.

"I _was_ recovering from what that idiot Darman caused, but Axen gave me some Red Spirit Gems to speed up my recovery a few days ago after Zaak and Laciter arrived." She told them, starting to regain her cheerfulness.

"Well that explains why you can walk…" Ember said with a smirk "But why would Axen give you those gems, they are for emergencies only aren't they?"

"I guess this counted as one, Ignitus' memorial service is today."

That made sense to the other two dragons. They remembered well how much time Amber had spent with Ignitus when the settlement was made.

"Wait, that's today?" Michael asked dumbly.

"Yes, the service starts at midday in the Gardens," Amber finally allowed herself a smile, albeit a sheepish one "But I have no idea where that is, I sorta caused my guides to run from me."

Ember giggled at this, making the negative atmosphere non-existent "You never change Amber, let's go get your guides, we'll join you in your little tour today."

"Thanks, it's good to have some friends with me," realization overcame her "Speaking of which, where is Darman? I still owe him for causing me to be bed ridden for so long!"

"That was your own fault Amber, you tried to shock him, missed and caused it." Michael said with a nervous chuckle.

"It's his fault for not getting electrocuted like he should have been." Amber retorted with a pout.

Ember sighed "You know electricity won't work on him…"

"Of course it will, I just need to use enough of it!"

The thought of Amber using even more electricity to shock Darman with caused both of them to sweatdrop _'I don't think that's how it works Amber…'_ they both thought.

"Hey Amber! It's great to see you again!"

Amber turned around to find Sion approaching her "Hi Sion." She greeted before continuing "Is it true?"

Sion looked confused by the question "Is what true?"

"That you forgave Cynder for what she did." Amber asked bluntly.

"I never _forgave _her," Sion explained "I just gave her a second chance; I want to know the changed Cynder. Will you also give her a chance?"

"If you all trust her then I will try to get to know her." Amber stated.

Cynder and Spyro stepped from the side of a building, Sion has evidently sprinted ahead "I was wondering where you went Sion." Spyro told the lime green dragon.

"Not my fault you are so slow." Sion shrugged.

Cynder stepped forward to speak to Amber "I'm sorry for what I did, I know there's no way to make it up to y-"

"Don't apologize," Amber cut her off "I will never forgive what you have done," Cynder flinched at those words even though she expected no less "However if Sion and the rest gave you a second chance then I see no reason not to either…"

"R-Really?" Cynder asked in disbelief. Sion still had his father, yet Amber lost both of her parents in the past to Cynder, she just couldn't believe it.

"Yes, if the stories are true and the Dark Master had you under his control then you deserve another chance." Amber told the black dragoness "I will only give you one more, so don't waste it."

"I promise I won't." Cynder promised the second dragon who gave her another chance that day "Now let's go, you still have much of the city to see."

The rest of the morning was spent eating a quick breakfast and showing Amber important areas of the city like the residential area, the Academy and the Gardens.

"It's nearly time; I think we should wait for the service to start here." Sion suggested.

"I agree," Spyro said "But shouldn't somebody go get Darman and Flame?"

As if on cue, both of said dragons arrived in the Gardens.

"Oh look there they are now!" Cynder pointed out.

"Flame! Darman!" Ember called out to get their attention.

It seemed to work as both dragons started walking their way at a reserved pace.

"Did you just say Darman?" Amber inquired with a hint of malice.

'_Oh no…'_ all the dragons from the settlement thought at the same time "Yes she did, why?" Spyro asked, clueless of the situation.

"Good." Amber said with a smile that was _too_ sweet before she called out to the approaching dragons with an underlayment of rage "Hi Darman!"

"That voice…" Darman whispered to himself.

Flame laughed softly at his best friend's luck "Sucks to be you right now! Think that's Amber?"

"H-How could it be?" Darman returned nervously "Remember how that boulder ended up?"

"I suppose you're right…" Flame conceded _'Would have been funny to see her now of all times though…'_

"Hi guys!" Spyro greeted happily.

"Hi." They both answered.

"Hello Darman…" a certain false sweet voice said.

"H-h-h-hi Amber!" Darman greeted nervously "W-What are you d-doing here? I thought you were recovering back at the settlement?"

"Why is Darman so nervous?" Spyro whispered to Michael.

"Long story short," Michael answered "Amber has been trying and failing to shock Darman for a while now, her latest attempt caused a boulder to land on her when she missed."

"Ouch…" Cynder added softly.

"I was, but Axen started giving me some Red Spirit Gems a few days ago so that I can be here today." Amber answered "Make no mistake, the moment this service is done…" Amber spoke slowly "You. Will. _Fry_."

Darman gulped at the threat, he knew she held him responsible for the boulder falling on her "N-no need to act so harshly, forgive and forget right?"

Amber responded with a toothy grin "You wish."

"Anyway…" Michael interrupted "I think it's about to start, let's get going."

No attempt at an argument was given by any dragon present as they all went to the centre of the garden towards the memorial service.

Upon their arrival they found that they were indeed just in time.

Terrador, Cyril, Volteer, Axen and two moles were all standing next to something covered in a cloth.

Gathered in front of them were what appeared to be nearly every dragon in the city, many cheetahs and even more moles. They joined at the very back of the crowd, watching the Guardians give their speech.

"We are here today to honor the sacrifices made that allowed us to win this war." Terrador addressed the crowd "We lost many loved ones, they will be mourned and never forgotten." As Terrador spoke those words, Cyril nodded towards the two moles.

The cover was taken off, revealing a massive stone with many names carved into it, the tip of which had a stone dragon resembling Ignitus on. At the very top, just below the dragon statue, written in what appeared to be glowing red rubies, was the name Ignitus.

The mere sight of this touched both Amber and Spyro deeply, bringing tears to their eyes.

"Let this stone serve as a reminder of all that was done to save us. These dragons, moles and cheetahs all gave their lives to save you all." Terrador continued "But ultimately, we have Ignitus to thank. His sacrifice allowed our heroes, Spyro and Cynder, to reach the Dark Master and end this war!"

"He was a great dragon and shall be missed deeply by many of us. He has left behind a great amount of friends along with a position that will be very difficult to fill." Axen spoke this time as he approached the memorial stone "As Terrador already said, none of their sacrifices were in vein and will _never_ be forgotten!" As he finished speaking those last words he unleashed a torrent of fire that curled around the stone, making for an incredible sight.

Neither Spyro nor Amber were trying to keep back their tears. Ignitus was like a father to both of them. He saved Spyro from the Dark Army and taught him what he could when he sought him out.

Ignitus was the closest thing Amber had to a family besides her adoptive parents. He spent every day with her; he taught her how to fend for herself. Ignitus felt closer to a father than a mentor to her. Any ideas she had to get revenge on Darman for that day were abandoned then and there.

Not missing their friend's distress, Cynder stood next to Spyro and draped a wing over him in an attempt to console him. Ember did the same to Amber and Darman stood closer in an attempt to give her some more company. They might fight often, but they were still good friends.

For the rest of the service they stood like that, both of them thankful for their supportive friends.

When the service was finished the group of dragons made their way towards the stone.

"I think I'll go to the cafeteria for some food," Cynder announced "We'll wait for you there Spyro, Amber."

She silently led the rest of the dragons away, allowing Spyro and Amber some time alone.

xXx

"You sure that was the best thing to do?" Flame asked skeptically "I don't think we should leave them alone right now."

"No she's right," Sion argued "Give them some time to grieve for their loss on their own for a bit, they need it."

"Sooooo Flame." Michael said slyly.

Flame raised an eyebrow at the tone he spoke in "Hm?"

"Are you already used to Ember's new looks? That has to be a record!" he teased the fire dragon.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…" Flame replied as he looked away.

"Sure you don't!" Michael said, but decided to stop the teasing to address another issue "So does anyone know if Amber will be staying here after all this is over?"

"I think she will," Cynder answered "Axen said something about her needing a proper education, so I guess that means she'll be attending the Academy."

"Speaking of which…" Ember chided in "Does anybody even know _what_ we will be taught there? Other than control of our elements of course…"

That question seemed to be the right one to ask since nobody, not even Cynder, had a good answer.

They walked the rest of the way making speculations on what they will be taught; Sion eventually raised the obvious question of who will teach the fire element.

Further guesses were made, none sounding good other than 'The Guardians will make a plan.'

xXx

They were getting closer.

Slowly, very slowly, they were nearing Dante's Freezer.

The few Elementals that remained were well aware of their progress. The ice encased Earth Obelisk would occasionally glow, signaling that it was making an attempt to teleport away from them.

The thin line of ice made by the lessers would last no longer than a few minutes before it melted, only just allowing the one icicled Elemental to cross with its package.

They were still very angry at their pace, but they knew they would make it to their destination eventually, allowing them to free the foot soldiers of their kind.

xXx

**A/N**

**And that's Chapter 7, hope you liked it!**

**Now to address a few reviews I got during my down time…**

**From HiImLuffy: "**I asked you very intent... please would you make one "FANFICTION" about DeathNote seeing that you have theintellect:?"  
**I appreciate the confidence and compliment, however I doubt I will ever make one about DeathNote since I don't like that anime **_**that**_** much.**

**From Phoenix of Decay: **"So many things to talk about... not enough patience to write about it on my phone...

My first thought when Spyro was given an element to use: Convexity, then I thought nahh.. it would kill em. Then I though: Dragon Time! And I was right :)  
Cynder should really get more time to relax... it would probably do some good.  
And I was put in an A/N! Yay! My day is improved, thank you for that :)"  
**Hehe good guess on the use of his power and I am glad you liked this chapter :)  
Also I am glad you liked getting mentioned, here's another one :D**

**From Concidencless: **"Very nice character development. Hope Spyro's powers come back fast enough."  
**In time he will, can't have him fight the Elementals with smoke and a cool breeze now can I? :P**

**From XxTheSomeonexX: **"Thanks for the mention. It really wasnt a big deal, just helping a fellow author. As for the chapter, I thought it was fantastic. I have seen this somewhere before though, where Cynder goes to a spa while someone else keeps Spyro distracted. I cant remember the name, but Ill tell you if I remember."  
**To you not a big deal, to me it really improved my writing, so thanks :D  
And we did eventually find it, it was from marinus18's fic "The legend of Spyro: Legend of the black dragon" so I would like to apologize to marinus18 for using your idea without knowing so :(**

**From Guest: **"Found this story today stood up to 12:09 reading it and i don't regretted one of the most interesting spyro fanfiction i read hope this can be finish unlike others smile"  
**Well my enigmatic reader, I am glad you liked it, hope this new chapter didn't disappoint!**

**Now the last order of business: Please **_**NO FLAMES**_**. Flames will be disposed of by Darman and his yet-to-be-explained Void element, so keep them away!**

**I will try to upload at least one chapter every two weeks or so, since I am still recovering I have to walk around… a lot… making me tire quickly and causing me to fall asleep for big chunks of the day.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**

**I'm back! And a full week earlier with the update than I originally intended (seems like being bed-bound with a laptop has its benefits!)**

**Before I start the chapter I'd like to thank everyone for their patience and support to me during this hard time for me. For those who want to know, my recovery is going well and my doctor says I should be able to walk without the help of crutches in a few weeks. My lungs are both fully healed now so I can finally breath properly :D**

**Once more I'd like to thank Darman700 for his unwavering support.  
Zizima for making my ramblings more readable.  
RougeMelodyAngel for correcting what Zizima and I missed.  
And last but **_**definitely**_** not least, my readers for, well, reading this! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Legend of Spyro, any characters, locations or companies to do with it.**

"Talking normally."

'_Thinking._'

**A/Ns are still in bold...nothing changed there yet.**

xXx

The next day came fairly quickly. Spyro and Amber mourned for Ignitus for some time after the rest of their friends left them to do so.

After their mourning's they joined up with their friends for some food. While they ate a silent agreement was made; they will no longer speak of the sensitive subject that is Ignitus.

After eating, they spent the rest of their day simply wandering around the city, learning more about Amber and her history.

Spyro and Cynder soon learned that Amber would constantly try to shock Darman into submission; however his element makes him immune against electric based attacks.

When they asked 'why?', Amber simply asked back 'Why not?' erecting laughter from both Sion and Cynder.

The day continued on as such until they decided to head home early due to the Academy starting the next day.

They all had different feelings towards the Academy, the most prominent thought being 'urgh'.

As the new day dawned they all had to rise slightly earlier than normal, some even had personal alarm clocks.

"Wake up you fat lizard!" an invasive voice demanded "I will _not_ let you be late for your first day of school!"

Spyro stirred lazily, half opening an eye to look at Sparx "You sound like mom..."

"No complaining!" Sparx shrugged off the comment "Get your lazy tail up before I start yanking it again!"

"Ok ok! I'm up!" Spyro said, not wanting his tail pulled on again.

"Good." Sparx stated smugly "Now get going, the orientation starts after breakfast."

Spyro stood up and stretched his stiff limbs while yawning widely.

"Careful not to swallow me whole while doing that." Said a nearby feminine voice.

Spyro stopped his lazy action short to look who it is. He blushed in embarrassment once he saw who it was "A-Amber! What are you doing here?"

"I came to get you and Cynder, don't want to be late for your first day at the Academy do you?"

"Exactly what I told him!" Sparx proclaimed happily "Who is this Spyro? Is she your new girlfriend?"

"Sparx!" Spyro shouted in an attempt so silence his foster brother.

"What?" Sparx asked innocently "She's definitely a step-up from the black demoness."

"I'll go get Cynder." Amber said as she left the two males alone.

"Why do you hate her so much?" Spyro said with a sigh.

"I don't know..." Sparx said in false cluelessness "Maybe because she tried to kill us _and_ the Guardians?"

"Did you forget she _also_ helped save them? She also saved both of us many times." Spyro retorted.

"Can't you see that it's all part of her grand plan?!" Sparx nearly shouted "She gains our trust, then the moment we lower our guard, _BAM!_ She kills us!" He slammed his fist into his palm for emphasis.

"And what, dear brother, would she gain from killing us?" Spyro asked in an exasperated tone.

"That's what makes it so evil!" He dropped his voice into a loud whisper "Nothing. Absolutely _nothing_! It makes her seem less suspicious not having anything to gain, making the Guardians leave her alone, it's the perfect plan! And it almost worked too, but I'm too smart for her!"

Spyro rolled his eyes at his brother's logic "Yeah you got her good Sparx, way to go bro." Spyro spoke with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"You don't have to believe me now, but don't come wailing to me _when your head is off_!" Sparx said overdramatically.

"Don't worry I won't," Spyro said with a chuckle as he went towards the door "Now if you'll excuse me I have to be at the Academy."

"Have fun and watch out for any Black Serpents!" Sparx cheerfully shouted back.

'_You're insane Sparx…'_ Spyro thought to himself as he came face to face with two dragonesses standing outside the door.

"What was that all about?" Cynder asked curiously as they started walking towards the cafeteria.

"Just Sparx being Sparx..." Spyro said with a sigh.

"What was it about this time?" Cynder asked with amusement evident in her voice.

"Just another one of his 'I hate Cynder' rants."

"Oh, so nothing new?"

"Sorry for interrupting," Amber spoke "But who is Sparx?"

"He's my brother." Spyro answered.

"Oh? I didn't know you had a brother," Amber admitted "What's his element?"

Cynder looked like she was giving it her all to hold back her laughter "If he has an element I would guess it to be annoyance or irritability, Sparx is a dragonfly."

Amber seemed shocked for a moment before she giggled softly "Oh I get it, trying to get me back for yesterday? No matter I'll just ask Spyro." She turned expectantly towards the purple dragon.

"She's telling the truth, Sparx is a dragonfly." Spyro confirmed as they entered the cafeteria "He was the other one with me in my room."

"_What?_! How come a dragonfly is your brother?" Amber asked in disbelief.

"Adoptive brother actually." Spyro corrected "I was raised by them, they found my egg."

"Well that's...interesting...I don't suppose you would elaborate?" Amber asked hopefully.

"I would but it's a bit of a long-"

"Spyro! Cynder! Amber! Over here!" Spyro was cut off by a loud voice.

He turned his attention to the source of the voice in time to see Sion getting smacked by Ember as she scolded him "Keep it down you idiot! We aren't the only ones here!"

The three dragons went in their direction; they soon got close enough to hear Darman speak to Ember "You might want to keep it down as well, you are shouting just as loudly as he was..."

In an instant a bright flash of yellow light engulfed the room for a moment, causing both Spyro and Cynder to yelp in surprise at the sudden occurrence.

"Damn it didn't work again!" Amber grumbled to herself as she glared at Darman "Would you please stop surviving?"

"You're _insane_ Amber!" Darman shouted back, the lines on his body having grown considerably thicker "Would you please not try to kill me before breakfast?"

Seemingly unfazed by everything, Sion spoke "It won't work Amber; you should know that by now."

"You should also know by now Sion, that everything has a breaking point, Darmans' just happens to be a little bit higher than the average dragon." Amber stated equally unfazed as the lines on Darman's body slowly started shrinking.

"D-Did she seriously just try to kill him?" Spyro asked in pure disbelief. Amber told him that she frequently shocked him, but that attack was more than enough to kill a fully grown dragon.

"It's nothing new, like we said she does it often." Ember commented off handedly.

"Better question, how come he looks like he didn't even feel that attack?" Cynder asked with disbelief ever present.

"That's because he didn't," Flame answered as he arrived with his food "He's completely unaffected by fire and electricity, but not by ice and earth."

"How does that work?" Spyro asked.

"We think it has something to do with my element," Darman started to explain "Axen said he thinks it's because fire and electricity are energy based elements while ice and earth are physical, even though if I actively use my element I can still do something about the physical elements."

Out of nowhere a strong gust of wind kicked up around Darman, to which the lines on his body merely became thicker before the wind died down again.

Spyro shot a glance at the dragoness with an open maw beside him "Cynder…"

"What? It seemed like fun." She said with a sheepish grin "Besides I knew it wouldn't hurt him, wind isn't physical is it? Hmm, I wonder if poison is physical..."

Darman paled at what Cynder was suggesting "No! No poison!"

"Aww..." Cynder whined dejectedly.

"Poison? Didn't you just use wind?" Amber asked the downcast dragoness.

"Well yes, but I can use four elements." Cynder admitted.

"How are you able to use elements besides your natural one?"

"Long story." Spyro answered, knowing the explanation will cause an uncomfortable situation, "For which we don't have time, let's eat."

Without further dispute the rest of the dragons went to get their breakfast, mostly consisting of venison steaks, some fish and a few rabbits.

They ate swiftly, not wanting to be late for the orientation.

xXx

"Is everything set?" The Guardian of Earth asked.

"Positively so Terrador, now we await the prominent arrival of the young batch of dragons." Volteer answered.

"I must admit I am looking forward to teaching the next generation about the great and noble dragon history, I am certain they would be equally excited to learn of their ancestral origins." The Ice Guardian added in, a rare smile making its way onto his muzzle.

"I am sure they will Cyril," Terrador said knowing the true response the blue dragon will get "Let's go over the program and our roles one more time while we wait."

"An excellent idea! Nothing like refreshing our knowledge ove-"

"Excellent!" Terrador interjected, avoiding the migraine Volteer's rambling is sure to bring "We start by having Cyril welcome the new arrivals, after which I will show them to their classes." He looked over to the Guardian of Electricity "Then Volteer will go through the rules of the Academy, I trust you remember them Volteer?" For an answer he got vigorous nods from the yellow dragon.

"Ancestors rest their poor ears…" Cyril muttered under his breath.

Ignoring the comment Terrador continued "Finally Sparx will- Where's Sparx?"

"Right here big guy," Sparx answered the rhetorical question as he arrived "Sorry for being late, I got lost on the flight path of life."

Terrador narrowed his gaze at the answer before he continued "Yes...Anyway, Sparx you are to-"

"I know, I know," Sparx sighed tiredly "Get them all to open up by having them introduce themselves, I still don't get why they have to do that, or why you asked me to do it."

"We explained this already young Sparx. It is to get the dragons from the settlement acquainted with the dragons from the city." Cyril explained to the small dragonfly "We chose you because you are charismatic. They would have a hard time understanding Volteer whilst Terrador and I aren't the friendliest looking dragons around."

"Point taken, wouldn't wanna meet you two in a dark alley in the middle of the night." Sparx shuddered; ignoring the death stares said dragons were giving him "So when do they get here?"

"They should be here soon. They are to gather here after breakfast." Terrador said as he glanced around.

They were all waiting on the outside of the Academy. There was a decent sized grass field stretching out before them while they stood atop the stairs leading into the Academy, giving them an elevated area to talk from.

They didn't have to wait long before a dark green scaled dragon landed in the field.

Already bored by the Guardians and not one to pass up an opportunity, Sparx flew over to the new arrival in hopes of finding entertainment.

"Hey there, name's Sparx! Nice to meet ya!" Sparx introduced himself, extending a small hand for the dragon to shake.

The green dragon looked over to the dragonfly, ignoring the extended limb as he spoke "Quake."

Sparx pulled back his arm as he flew even closer, completely undeterred by Quake's uninterested demeanor "So are you from the settlement? What type of dragon are you? Are you looking forward to entering the Academy? Are you excited about meeting me and the Guardians?"

Quake continued looking at the dragonfly uninterested as he spoke "Yes, earth, no and ecstatic."

Sparx grunted "Not much of a talker, are you?"

"No."

"Perfect! I'm sure you and Cyril will get along fine then!" Sparx said with a smile as he noticed another dragon heading towards them "One of your friends?"

Slowly the approaching dragon came into view. As Quake recognized the approaching dragon his eyes widened in horror "Oh no…"

Sparx tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the approaching green dragon "He looks a bit like the guy Spyro hangs out with…"

Soon the dragon landed next to them "Hey Quake! How've you been? Haven't seen you in a while!"

"Hello Sion, good, it has, leave me alone." Quake answered in monotone.

"Don't be like that now. Lighten up!" For the first time Sion seemed to notice Sparx hovering next to Quake "Hey! Sparx right? Spyro's brother?"

"The one and only mighty Sparx! I see my reputation exceeds me." Sparx boasted proudly.

"Yeah, Cynder mentioned a few times how much you used to hide whenever danger is around." Sion said ever cheerfully, now seeming to ignore Quake much to the stoic dragon's delight.

"She _what?!_ That b-"

"Hahaha! She's right, you're also easy to agitate!" Sion said while laughing.

Sparx gave the much larger creature as sharp a glare as he could muster "You know I am in good contact with the Guardians, one of their closest friends in fact, laughing at me isn't very smart."

In an instant the laughing stopped "You're lying."

Sparx smirked victoriously "Believe that if you want to, but they called me here to help them at the Academy, in fact I'll be part of today's tour..." Sparx saw the almost terrified look on Sion's face _'He probably holds them in high regard, poor kid; I'll spare him from further suffering'_ Sparx thought, inwardly praising himself for the victory "I'd love to stay here but if you young dragons are starting to arrive then I best get going."

He flew back towards the Guardians, leaving Sion and Quake alone.

"Well done Sion." Quake piped up, grinning at his expression "Making enemies with a friend of the Guardians and brother to the purple dragon, your day just got more interesting."

If possible Sion's face fell even more at the normally stoic dragon's words.

Over the next half hour the rest of the dragons arrived for the orientation, some more eager than others to get started at the Academy.

In all Cyril counted about 25 dragons, 16 from the settlement and 9 from Warfang. They were split into smaller groups with a good gap between the city dragons and the settlement dragons.

Cyril decided that what he is seeing would most likely be all that is to arrive, prompting him to start his speech "I welcome you all to the orientation of the Academy. I will not keep you here long as there is still much to do..."

xXx

"Wake up!" A deep voice bellowed from within a dark cave "It's nearly time."

"Wha-?" a smaller female voice asked drowsily.

"Get up _Glacia_. It is nearly time for you to be going." The same voice said "Get your focus right then feel out where your Elementals are."

Now fully awake, the dragoness did as she was told "Yes Appolonir."

She closed her eyes and started focusing. It didn't take her very long to find what she was looking for "They are close, I would guess another ten hours before they arrive at the Frozen Tomb."

"Excellent, Clayf has located the area you should appear in, unfortunately it belongs to a tribe of cheetahs so be on you guard. Cheetahs are not known for their friendly relations with dragons." Appolonir warned the younger Corrupted Guardian.

"What am I to do should I encounter one of those cheetahs?" Flake asked, concerned for her own safety.

"You hope that it has mercy on you since you will be in no shape to fight." Clayf answered gravely "But I doubt they will, unfortunately the village near where you will be surfacing has been led for a long time by several generations of dragon haters."

"That certainly makes this easier..." Flake complained hopelessly "What do we do until the obelisk arrives at the tomb?"

"We begin to gather our energies; we will need every scrap to get you out of this prison." Appolonir informed her. He looked over to the ever lazy sleeping dragon with a scowl "_THUNDRON!"_

"Whaaaaaaaat?" the lazy dragon moaned like a hatchling upon being woken up.

"Enough sleeping, start gathering your power for little Glacia's escape."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

'_Annoying geezer…'_

xXx

"…Any questions?" Volteer asked the small crowd of dragons. One dragon raised his paw "Yes young one! What is your question?"

"How can you talk so much on a single breath of air?" asked the ice dragon, amazed at the feat Volteer just accomplished.

"I do not know what you mean young one, any other questions?" more paws went up "...Not relating to my speech pattern?" all the paws went down "That will suffice then, your next guide-"

"Is none other than me! The great Sparx! Nice to meet you all!"

"I shall leave the young ones in your care Sparx." Volteer said as he walked off, leaving the dragonfly to acquaint the dragons with each other.

"So for those of you who were still deafened by the big guys' quick talking when I came in, my name is Sparx and I am your guide for a bit." Sparx reintroduced himself "My job is to get you lot to know each other a bit better! So let's start off with names!" Sparx pointed at a random dragon "You! What's your name?"

All eyes turned to where the dragonfly was pointing. It was right at the dark green dragon he met while waiting for the rest of the dragons to arrive "Quake."

"That was inspired, well done!" Sparx cheered sarcastically "Now we start from the front, give your name and element and tell us a bit about yourself." This time Sparx pointed at the dragoness standing at the very front of the group.

"My name is Amber. My element is electricity. I come from the settlement and I enjoy killing annoying people."

Misinterpreting the meaning of what Amber just said Sparx paled, missing the glance she shot at an equally pale blue dragon "N-Next!"

The introductions continued for the next 30 minutes, some of the dragons reluctant to talk out of embarrassment but eventually succumbing to the pleas the dragons would give them.

At the end many dragons were chatting, only going silent to allow another dragon to introduce himself/herself.

'_Guess those old timers were right, they actually seem friendlier to each other.'_ Sparx mused as the final dragon introduced himself.

"Name's Geo, earth dragon for those who can't tell. I come from Warfang and I'm a great hunter."

Before the chatting of the dragons had a chance to pick up, Sparx made his presence known again "Now that we're all friends Terrador is waiting for you all at the front of the Academy, best get going now, shoo!"

Reluctantly all the dragons present obeyed the glowing dragonfly.

It wasn't long before they arrived where they started, finding Terrador alone near the entrance.

"I see Sparx got you all acquainted." After he spoke all the present dragons slowly went silent "Good. There is one final task for you all before you are excused for the day." Terrador started walking off and gesturing for the rest to follow.

He treaded down the cobblestone road with the group of dragons for about 5 minutes until they arrived at a large building "This will be your final task for the day."

"Umm, what exactly is this task master Terrador?" an inquisitive electricity dragon asked.

Terrador grinned at the question "I'm glad you asked. There will be three different classes of training; Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. These classes determine what we will teach you. Each class is significantly more difficult than the last."

"So what is this place? And what is the task?" Geo asked the Earth Guardian.

"Patience young one I was getting there. This is the Arena. Your task will be to fight to let me and the rest of the Guardians determine in which class to place you." Terrador explained "Inside you will face waves of straw dummies. While you fight I will determine your level of skill along with Cyril, Volteer and Morris."

Immediately murmurs broke out. Apparently many of the dragons were excited at the prospect of showing off their combat prowess to the legendary Guardians and the leader of the settlement's guard.

"For now we want you all to fight without the use of your elements," Many 'Awww's sounded out, but none questioned the Guardian's reasons "Now go inside and take a seat on one of the spectator seats."

The younger dragons practically stormed in, carrying Spyro and Cynder along with them who wanted to walk rather than run. However one dragon managed to dodge the crowd to stay behind.

"Master Terrador?" a dragon with jet black lines spoke.

"Yes young one?"

"I was wondering if it would be possible for me...not to fight..." Darman said as he looked away from the larger earth dragon.

Terrador seemed shocked by this "Why would you not want to fight young one? It forms part of your school curriculum."

"P-Please master Terrador, allow me not to fight today, I am sure mister Morris or master Axen would be able to explain my reasons." The void dragon begged, still not meeting Terrador's eyes.

"Very well," Terrador conceded "I shall discuss this with Axen, you are permitted not to fight today. Now go join your peers."

"Thank you master Terrador." Darman said as he entered the arena.

'_Most peculiar...I have never met a dragon his age unwilling to fight. I hope Morris has the answers I seek...'_ Terrador thought as he watched the strange dragon fly up to join his friends.

xXx

"Where did you go Darman? I thought you were trampled during the stampede!" Sion asked sarcastically as Darman landed.

"I went to speak to master Terrador; he said it's not necessary for me to fight today." Darman answered softly.

Michael and Sion's jaw dropped at the statement "What? Why would you do that?" Michael asked in disbelief.

"I don't like fighting." Darman retorted truthfully.

Michael looked like he wanted to argue. However as he opened his maw to reply nothing came out. He couldn't remember Darman fighting, ever. He would always run away using his element to propel himself away from conflict. He couldn't even remember Darman using his element on any dragon to harm them.

Before he could dwell on this any further a voice sounded from across the arena "Amber step into the arena!"

"Yes! Time to shine!" Amber cheered to herself quietly before gliding down.

"Begin!" Terrador shouted. At that moment two straw dummies appeared out of nowhere.

"This is going to be easy..." Amber mused before she rushed the closest dummy.

As she got closer the dummy lifted its arm, preparing to strike the oncoming dragoness. The dummy struck, however Amber saw the attack coming long ago and easily dodged to the side.

She then crouched low, avoiding a horizontal strike from the dummy beside her. Without warning she leapt at the one directly in front of her, claws ready to rip her target to shreds.

The dummy had no chance to dodge the dragoness before her claws sunk into its chest, causing it to explode in a small shower of straw.

As Amber landed she spun around to face the remaining dummy. This one seemed to be the same type as the one she had just taken down, she was sure she would have no problems dealing with it.

She charged her next target, head down, ready to impale it with her horns. When she got close enough she could hear the dummy shifting, most likely in an attempt to stop her deadly charge.

She looked up to see the dummy preparing to strike at her and dodged by stopping herself short. The dummy hit the ground, completely missing Amber.

As he tried to lift his arm, Amber rushed forward once more and in one swift motion she ripped the dummy's extended arm off with her barbed tail tip, causing the dummy to stumble back clumsily.

Not one to waste an opening, Amber leapt forward, intent on ending this wave of dummies. Quick as lighting, she did a horizontal slash with her claws, ending the artificial life of the dummy.

"Very good Amber, do you wish to continue?" Terrador asked the dragoness.

"Yes." Was the immediate reply of Amber.

"Very good," At those words four new dummies appeared "Begin!"

Amber was about to rush the fresh set of dummies before she noticed a few subtle differences in two of them. One of the new dummies had armor covering its chest and legs. It also had a helmet on, partially hiding its face.

The second one seemed thinner and taller than the other dummies _'Must be to compensate for the larger one.'_ Amber concluded. It didn't take her very long to come up with a suitable battle plan.

She would target the two she knew about first. She knew their attack patterns so they wouldn't be very hard to take out. Then she would go for the weaker looking one, allowing her to have a one-on-one fight with the armored dummy.

She charged her first target quickly, denying them the opportunity to surround her. This time around she had no trouble in defeating the first dummy as she expected. What she did not expect however was for the taller dummy to barrel into her from above.

With a pained yelp she fell back, ending her round. The remaining dummies all exploded into straw before Terrador spoke "Good job Amber, please return to your seat."

With a disappointed sigh Amber flew back to her spot beside Michael who decided to speak to the saddened dragon "That was amazing Amber! I didn't know you could fight like that!"

"Zeuk please enter the arena!" Terrador spoke, however the two talking dragons ignored it "Begin!"

"Thanks Michael, but I was stupid and overconfident..." Amber wanted to slap herself for thinking things would be easier in the second round _'Of course the Guardians wouldn't make the fights _easier_ by the round! Ancestors that was stupid!'_

"You did your best, it's not like you knew that dummy could fly." Michael said in a further attempt to cheer up his friend.

"Ow!" Zeuk cried out from within the arena.

"Good try Zeuk, return to your seat." Terrador called out, once more ignored by the chatting dragons.

"Yeah Amber, anybody could have made that mistake." Spyro added in honestly.

"Spyro's right, none of us knew that thing could fly until we saw it ourselves." Cynder spoke, also trying to cheer up her new friend.

"Quarry please enter the arena!"

Amber smiled at their attempts "Thanks, I'll do my best not to make that same mistake again."

"Think nothing of it! Now let's watch the rest of the fights!" Michael exclaimed happily as they all turned their attention to the centre of the arena where Quarry was mindlessly charging one of the dummies.

The fight didn't last very long as Quarry failed to notice the second dummy striking at him from his left as he hit his target.

The fights continued for quite some time. Since the dragons from Warfang did at least some fighting during the war most of them made it past the first round, one of them even passing the second round.

Many of the settlement dragons failed at the first round since they either had little experience in fighting or had trouble keeping up with two enemies at once.

Cynder easily made it past the second round, also nearly completing the third round. Flame had similar results; he completed the second round, but with much more difficulty than Cynder.

Sion, Quake and Zaph all completed the first round without much trouble, but all failed at the much harder second round.

Ember and Michael dropped out during the first round. Ember attempted an aerial attack to give her the advantage during the fight since she knew she was terrible at fighting up close; however she did not expect the dummies to leap up and strike her down while she was swooping.

Michael had even worse luck. He was not an inexperienced fighter, but he was not used to fighting 2 targets at once. During his fight he lashed out at his first target, bringing it down quickly. As he spun around he saw his second target advancing on him rapidly. In a panicked state he shot out a stream of freezing water at the dummy, encasing it in ice.

"Use of elements is prohibited during this exemplary display of melee combat skill!" Volteer bellowed.

"Please return to your seat Michael." Terrador requested of the hybrid.

Michael flew back as asked to do; he also had an air of depression about him so thick that it was visible to those watching him.

"Spyro please enter the arena." Terrador called out to the purple dragon.

Complying with the Earth Guardian's request, Spyro glided down to the arena. After fighting so long it was like a second instinct to land in a combat stance, ready to fight any enemies.

"Begin!"

The same two dummies appeared; ready to face off the purple dragon.

In no time at all Spyro took to the skies and flew towards the dummies. When he got close enough they leapt at him, just as he expected. He went into a sharp dive, closing the short distance between him and the ground.

During his dive he shot out with his tail, lobbing off the head of a dummy foolish enough to get too close to him.

The moment Spyro landed he leapt up once more, directly at the second dummy now falling down, completely defenseless.

"Excellent work Spyro!" Terrador exclaimed proudly. After he spoke four new dummies appeared "Begin!"

This time Spyro stood completely still, seemingly ignoring his opponents. All four of them took this as an opening and charged forward.

The smaller dummy leapt into the skies and reached Spyro first. As it was about to attack the purple dragon, Spyro jumped up, causing the flying dummy to overextend in its attack.

Using the opening given to him, Spyro gave a strong beat of his wings, propelling him into the stumbling dummy. Spyro dug his claws into the dummy's back, ending the aerial threat in a shower of straw.

Now he had the two more 'basic' dummies to handle. The third, much more armored dummy was lagging behind considerably due to the extra weight.

Once more Spyro stood still, prepared to counterattack whatever the dummies could throw at him.

But unlike last time Spyro charged the dummy on his right, horns at the ready. The dummy was caught completely off guard by the sudden change of tactics and could do nothing to prevent his inevitable demise.

Spyro slammed hard into the dummy, embedding his horns deep into the dummy, leaving him with only 2 more targets. The unarmored dummy caught up with Spyro not long after he took down his previous target.

The dummy attacked Spyro before he had a chance to fully face the dummy, forcing him to block the incoming attack with his tail, locking him in a power struggle.

'_Damn it! Am I still so weak that I can't repel a simple straw enemy?'_ Spyro mentally berated himself as he tried to gain dominance.

However as his struggle continued the armored dummy attacked with a vertical slash. Spyro knew he lost this one, if he tried to dodge to either side he would be struck by the one he was currently struggling with. If he didn't dodge he would be struck by the bigger dummy.

Deciding to take the lesser of two pains, Spyro made to dodge to the left. Unfortunately he was quickly struck by the dummy he just had a power struggle with, ending the fight.

"Good try Spyro, return to your seat." Terrador said as both the dummies dispelled.

Complying with the Guardian, Spyro flew back to his group of friends, disappointed at his performance in battle.

"Still recovering?" Cynder inquired with some concern.

"Yes I think so," Spyro gave a disappointed sigh "I couldn't even overpower a simple straw dummy..."

"Don't think about it too much Spyro, you just need some rest." Cynder assured him.

"I hope you're right Cynder..."

"You have all fought magnificently!" Terrador addressed all the dragons present "You will be made aware of your classes tomorrow, take the rest of the day off. Classes will start tomorrow at the same time as today. Dismissed!"

xXx

-_Later that day-_

The Guardians spent some hours after the fights at the arena determining which dragons to place in the different classes. They were done with the Beginner sorting and most of the Intermediate sorting.

"I would find it gratifying and completely justifiable to place Spyro in the Advanced classes since he has proven his combat prowess numerous times during the war." Volteer stated his argument.

"I agree that Spyro has the necessary experience to be placed in the Advanced classes," Terrador agreed "However it is apparent that he is still weakened from his fight with the Dark Master, putting him in Intermediate for the time being would be the wisest choice to make."

"I tend to agree with Terrador on this matter," Cyril voted "Spyro has proven himself worthy of Advanced classes. I do not see the point in putting him in them when he would be unable to keep up."

"Until Spyro has recovered sufficiently he would be best suited for Intermediate classes." Morris said, ending the matter "Let's move on to the Advanced classes, the candidates being Cynder, Flame and Pyro."

"Ah yes, all did admirably well during their fights." Terrador thought aloud "Cynder has proven herself in the war as well. Are there any objections to having Cynder attend Advanced classes?"

"Yes." Morris said grimly "I would not feel comfortable teaching the Terror of the Skies Advanced combat."

"There is no need to fret about that any longer, Cynder was purged of Malefor's corruption long ago and helped defeat him," Terrador defended the formerly evil dragoness "She has the Guardian's full support."

"Far be it beyond me to go against the word of the Guardians, but I still feel uncomfortable with this." Morris admitted, although he felt more comfortable knowing the Guardians trusted her "I would personally like to recommend Flame for the Advanced classes. At the settlement he was one of the best young fighters, he also has great control over his element."

"Noted," Cyril said as he looked between Terrador and Volteer "Anyone against Flame entering the Advanced classes?"

"No" both Terrador and Volteer replied.

"Very well," Cyril said as he looked at the final name on the list "Finally there is Pyro. From what I saw he is a talented fighter and tactical thinker, though I do not know any of his personal achievements."

"I have heard of him," Volteer supplied "He was a prodigy in both melee combat and elemental control in his village. He would make an excellent candidate for Advanced classes. Unfortunately I also heard that he has an attitude problem of catastrophic proportions."

"Regardless of his past and potential attitude problem; his performance in the arena was admirable. I agree that he should participate in Advanced classes." Morris cast his vote, ending the class selections.

"Now that we are finished, I have something to discuss with you Morris." Terrador told the earth dragon.

"About what?" Morris asked curiously.

"About a certain dragon named Darman..."

xXx

"So unfair...So unfair...SO UNFAIR!"

"Give it a rest Michael!" Flame scolded the depressed dragon "You recovered so quickly the other day, why can't you just do it again?"

"Haha! Leave him; it's always funny to see his face like this!" Sion said in between laughs.

"You know I don't think it's healthy for somebody to have such rapid mood swings..." Spyro added in with a sweat drop.

"Personally I still don't think it was a good idea to send Darman and Amber to go get us food, even with Ember there." Cynder absently offered.

Currently the 5 friends were resting in the Gardens. All of them - save for Cynder – were completely exhausted from the Arena fights earlier that day. As such they played a game of rock-papyrus-sword to decide who has to get the food.

After three short games it was decided that Amber, Ember and Darman should get the food, the latter of which being very nervous of going anywhere with the former.

"That reminds me..." Flame said with a thoughtful expression "Shouldn't they have been back by now? The market district isn't very far from here."

"Yeah, I wonder where-"

"Stop it! NO! Ahh!" Sion never got a chance to finish his sentence as their answer was currently flying above them with his black lines bulging in their size.

"Is that...?" Spyro started.

"Darman being chased by Amber? Yes, yes it is." Ember finished for him.

"Get back here! You'll pay for that!" Amber furiously shouted at the fleeing dragon.

"What happened this time?" Flame deadpanned.

"You remember the boulder incident?" Both Flame and Sion nodded "Imagine that, only with a stack of fish..."

"Amber no! Charging your claws with electricity is going to- OUCH!"

"I swear those two are like a personal theatre." Sion said in amusement "I wonder if I can make any gems out of their antics..."

"Try not to sell our friends out Sion." Flame said with a glare.

Spyro was watching the events with concern for their well being "Shouldn't we...stop them before somebody actually gets hurt?"

Another large bolt of electricity shot out from Amber, dead on hitting Darman "If you want to stop that raging behemoth, then be my guest." Flame stated dryly.

Cynder on the other paw had an amused look on her face "I agree with Flame, let's just let them tire out."

For seemingly no reason at all Michael looked up from his depressed state and gave an involuntary shudder while Sion seemed to freeze up.

"W-What _was that_?" Michael asked to nobody in particular, beads of sweat started to appear on his forehead.

"Michael? Is something wrong?" Ember asked, concerned by the expression on Michael's face.

"Sion, are you feeling alright?" Flame asked the frozen up dragon.

"What's wrong?" Spyro asked as he approached the two.

"I-I don't know..." Michael muttered softly "I just felt something...wrong."

"I felt it too, what _was_ that?" Sion asked as he snapped out of his stupor.

xXx

"That is disturbing news..." Terrador uttered, trying to process what Morris just told him "You are certain he would not repeat such actions?"

"As certain as you are that Cynder would not repeat her actions, I will vouch for the young one." Morris stated in an attempt to gain the Guardian's trust for the void dragon "Yet he will avoid conflict as much as possible in an attempt to not accidently have a repeat."

"If that is the case we shall place him in the Beginner class and keep him there, only allowing him to practice his form and techniques." Cyril suggested.

"That would be best. He will not be allowed to participate in any comb-" Before Terrador could finish his sentence, he froze, eyes shooting wide open "Oh Ancestors no..."

Morris seemed to have similar reactions, however on a much smaller scale "Terrador, do you know what that was?"

"Terrador? Are you feeling alright? Do you require medical assistance?" Volteer asked, slightly alarmed by Terrador's behavior.

"We're too late...they found it." Terrador said in a near whisper.

"Too late? Who found what?" Morris shot out, concerned for the look of fear lined in the Earth Guardian's features.

"The Obelisk of Earth has been found..."

xXx

"_NOW!_" Clayf bellowed, breaking the silence in the prison.

Appolonir, Thundron and Clayf were sitting in a triangular pattern around Flake. Clayf and Flake were facing each other directly while Appolonir and Thundron sat in a meditating position on either side of Flake while also facing the Corrupted Earth Guardian.

On Clayf's command their meditating was abandoned. Their eyes shot open while their bodies started emitting a soft glow of red, yellow, teal and green

For the first time the features of the four dragons became apparent. Flake had light blue colored scales resembling the color of the glow the Ice Elementals posses. Her underbelly was a pure white color. Her wing frame had the same coloration as her body and had several spikes sticking from them while her membrane was also white in color.

Appolonir had two color patterns decorating his body. Thick lines of overlapping yellow and red covered most of his body whilst they slowly got smaller as they reached his head, making it seem like a fire was raging on his scales. His underbelly had a pale golden color. His wings adorned the same colorings of his underbelly whilst his scythe-like tail tip was as white as bone.

Clayf had the typical colorings of an earth dragon with deep lime green scales and a dark brown underbelly. His tail tip seemed much more dangerous than first apparent. It had the same lime green colorings in the centre of it while the many, many razor sharp spikes were brown. The tip overall had the appearance of a bush of large thorns.

Finally Thundron had bright yellow scales on his body with an even brighter color for his underbelly. His wings were a darker shade of yellow while the membrane imitated the color of his underbelly. Finally his tail tip ended in a dimly glowing thunderbolt shaped end. There was no denying that the tip was humming with power.

After mere seconds the glows of Flake, Thundron and Appolonir got dimmer whilst the glow on Clayf got ever brighter. Eventually the glows on the three dragons were nearly out, all of them seemed to have trouble standing.

"AHHHH!" In a loud roar Clayf reared back and slammed his front paws back into the ground with great force. Nearly in the same instant a small dome of earth encased the smallest of the dragons, dragging her into the ground and out of the prison.

Completely exhausted by their efforts Appolonir, Thundron and Clayf fell forward, once more sent into their slumber.

xXx

Within the Icy Plaines the Ice Elementals have succeeded in their mission; bring the Obelisk of Earth to the Frozen Tomb. The Tomb itself looked unimpressive, it had no special designs or shapes adorning the exterior, it even lacked a door.

The 5 icicled Elemental effortlessly carried the ice covered Obelisk into the Tomb. The interior looked much better off than the outside. Contradicting its name, the interior of the Tomb had no ice in it at all; the walls had several carvings of battles fought by many creatures against the Earth Elementals. Once the Ice Elemental reached the centre of the Tomb, it placed the Obelisk on a slightly elevated area and fled the scene.

Moments after the Ice Elemental left an unnatural energy shot downwards from the Obelisk and into the ground, causing a fading tremor for several seconds. As the tremor went on the ice clinging to the Obelisk of Earth started cracking apart and finally shattering altogether.

Tendrils of earth shot from the ground and started encasing the Obelisk as the small pedestal it was on slowly descended into the earth beneath it.

All was silent for but a heartbeat before the ground started shifting upwards, vaguely taking a spherical form.

Eventually the earth stopped adding to the strange being, leaving behind a rough solid ball of earth with several strange markings on it. Moments after it stopped a small part on the front of the sphere broke open, leaving a smooth circular hole in it. Inside said hole was the same crystal that was contained within the Obelisk.

Slowly the crystal started glowing causing three small spikes of earth to cover the exposed crystal and four cracks to appear on different sides of the being. The cracks kept increasing until they broke open, allowing four thick, sturdy looking 'legs' to come forth.

The creature rose up; it was nearly as big as the entire Tomb. When it reached its peak, it made a sound much like two grind stones being swept across one another. As if a command had been issued, the wall directly in front of the being sank into the earth, unleashing what's inside.

The Earth Elementals have been awoken.

xXx

**A/N**

**Yes I finally brought in the second Elemental type! Now begins the search for the Electricity Elementals, but I doubt the Guardians will be so passive this time around...**

**Before I get onto the reviews I have a small challenge for my few readers. Inside this chapter I have made a reference to a certain anime character. Let's see who can find it! Either post your findings in a review or PM it to me, results will be posted next chapter (Tip: The character loves to use lighting).**

**From Phoenix of Decay: **""I think I broke him." Ember said... Priceless. I snickered quite a bit reading that.

Based on what I've (tried to) figure out, the Ice Elemental appear to be Officers and the Earth Elementals are as you said "foot soldiers". I'm assuming (and this is a huge assumption) that the Electric Elementals will be spec ops and the Fire Elementals will be around General level.

Again I'm mentioned?*gasps* Oh well, that improves my not even started day.

I await your next chapter (just to see if I get mentioned again)"

**Hehe, glad you liked that part.  
As for your assumption...you got half of them right, everyone knows you got the Earth Elementals right, but I'm not revealing the second one :P  
Hmmmm, nope you didn't get mentioned at all, definitely not first either, sorry Phoenix :'(**

**From MurasakiKuroAkai: **"Sorry to hear about what happened to you, it's completely understandable that you are still recovering from the incident. Good health must always come first. At least you are getting better.

Glad to read another chapter! The whole 'sweat drop' setting is very suitable in the certain circumstances (in this case Amber's odd attempts to shock Darman). Looking forward to the next chapter, and get well soon. :-)"

**Why thank you Murasaki :)  
I am glad you enjoyed the chapter and I hope I didn't disappoint with this one!**

**From Darman700: **"Hey bro great comeback as always an amazing chapter, I really loved the OC's you introduced here, I've grown quite curious to learn more about Darman's power now hehe.  
But above all I am glad to hear you're ok and getting better, hope you get well soon and hope you update soon can't wait for another amazing chapter :)"

**Curious about your own power eh? Sorry not gonna tell you! You're just going to have to wait for it like the rest of the good readers.**

**From Coincidencless: **"You nearly _died_ and you're the one apologizing?! By whatever god(s) you hold in reverence are you _alright_?! I suppose you are, if you're writing this, but sheesh! I'm glad you got out of that!

Poor Flake, but on a logical point of view, it _is _necessary. And it's not like they're doing it with malicious intent on her; its to keep her from getting discovered and punished/killed/whatever,

Poor, poor Cynder. She really can't catch a break, can she?

Please try not to die writing the next chapter D-: Get well soon!

'Flames will be disposed of by Darman'. Better run, Flame!"

**I have to admit, I am touched by your concern for me, but I also laughed a bit at that first part (love creative reviews!) xD  
Hmm, well I find it logical that Cynder would have problems with dragons from all sides, she **_**did**_** massacre quite a few of them after all.  
P.S. I survived while writing this chapter!**

**From Wolfartist117: **"Been dying to see Spyro's reaction, nice work ; )"

**Thank you, good to know I got it right :)**

**From Unit Omicron: **"Great story so far! I love the character development in this one. Most of the other Spyro x Cynder stories on here start out IMEDIATELY with them being together. Spyro being oblivious is a nice touch, and adds a feeling of wanting to read on, also, the quick references to the Elementals' trek across the ocean adds for a suspense feeling as well, as well as dramatic irony. VERY well written. On a side note, I hope you are recovering well from your injury. Suffering through a traumatic experience like that must have been horrific. I wish you the best in your recovery! Best regards. –UO"

**Thanks for the faith in the story, really appreciate it! :)  
As for the recovery, it's going great so far, stitches came out 2 days before posting this and I must say, removing stapler like stitches is not as pleasant as you'd think...**

**From XxTheSomeonexX: **"Wow, sorry to hear what happened to you. I'm surprised that you care enough to update this when something that bad happened to you. Major props. And thanks for the mention :D"

**Well of course I care enough. As an afterthought, I was still a bit high on pain killers while I wrote a part of chapter 7 and the beginning of chapter 8 (no, Zizima was not very happy with correcting that one).  
Heard you liked mentions, here's another one :P**

**Remember to leave a review, reviews make me happy, and being happy lets me recover from this faster psychologically! (seems legit right?).**

**As always, criticism (preferably constructive) is welcomed as it helps me improve while Flames will be completely ignored. After all, what good are flames when there is no Fire Guardian?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

**I am very sorry for updating this one after nearly 2 weeks! I will try my best to speed up the updates but I need to get back to work soon.**

**Last chapter I made a little challenge to see who could spot where I have hidden a referral to a certain lighting user from the anime. It seems that even with Zezima practically giving it away that nobody got it. Here is the answer: Kakashi Hatake. I made a small referral to him right here: **"Sorry for being late, I got lost on the flight path of life." **He said the very same after coming late on training day 1 (minus the 'flight' part of course).**

**Now I am curious as to see who you as the readers want to see more of. So I made a poll about 9 of the dragons from the story. It can be found on my profile so please cast your vote!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Legend of Spyro, any compa- screw it, this is getting old, read chapter 8 for the rest of it!**

"Talking normally."

'_Thinking._'

**A/Ns are still in bold!**

xXx

"Ugh..." Flake groaned as she was awoken by something she had not seen in many, many years; the sun.

She was lying down in a small clearing on a patch of grass surrounded by trees and bushes. These things felt somewhat alien to her as she was accustomed to seeing nothing but darkness in a dreamless sleep and recently the soft glow of Thundron's tail.

'_I can't believe it worked,'_ Flake thought, glad to be alive _'I half expected to be stuck in the earth...best not to dwell on that too much.'_ She shakily stood up on all fours. Immediately she regretted the decision as she was met with immense pain from all over her body.

'_I should be tired not hurt...'_ She inspected her body and quickly found the source of her pains. The wounds that she froze a few days ago were now defrosted, almost all of them bleeding.

"Great, at least this day couldn't get any worse..." She said out loud, voicing her complaints.

"Who's there?" Apparently she spoke too soon.

'_The Ancestors still hate me I see...'_ She knew she was near a village of dragon hating cheetahs, so she tried to push the pain aside and stand again. She fell after taking a single step due to a particularly deep wound to her left hind leg.

"Hunter, I think it came from there." Sure enough Flake could hear the rustling of leaves and bushes rapidly approaching her.

'_Perfect, a cheetah hunter to boot.'_ She thought bitterly, realizing that she would not be able to escape the cheetahs. In a desperate attempt to save herself she focused on calling out for the Ice Elementals but to her horror found she didn't even have the energy for that.

'_So this is how it ends,'_ She snorted _'I hope they will at least end it quickly. Doesn't mean I'm going down without a fight.'_

x

"I'm telling you it came from over here!" Meadow insisted.

"And I'm telling _you_ that you're going crazy." Hunter turned to completely look at Meadow "What are the odds of finding someone else while gathering your damn herbs?" Hunter asked in exasperation as they moved past another bush.

Meadow put a paw against Hunter's head and turned it forward while pointing with his other paw.

It took Hunter a moment to make sense of what exactly he was seeing. When he did his eyes widened in horror. Before him was a much bruised and severely wounded dragon.

"I suppose you came here to finish the job?" the dragon_ess_ snarled angrily at them.

"What?" Meadow asked in confusion.

"Don't play dumb with me! I won't let you get me without a fight!" The dragoness opened her maw, preparing to attack them with whatever element she was affiliated with.

Both Hunter and Meadow knew what dragons were capable of; as such they jumped to the sides to dodge the incoming attack.

Long before Hunter hit the ground he had his bow drawn to retaliate. However to his utter confusion no attack came from the dragoness, only a cold wind swept over them before she slumped over, unconscious.

"Any idea what just happened?" Meadow asked Hunter from his position on the ground.

"No idea..." Hunter got up and started walking towards the fallen dragoness "But these wounds don't look too good, think any of the herbs we got here can help her?"

"I should be able to fix up a quick salve with what we have. I have a mortar with me, but I'll need a container to mix them in and a sturdy makeshift pestle." Meadow supplied.

"On it, start treating what you can while I'm gone." Wasting no time, Hunter sprinted off into the forest in search of plants to meet their purposes.

xXx

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Come o-"

"No means _no_ Sion."

"Why not?" Sion asked dejectedly "You were never afraid of exploring the caves back at the settlement, why are you so dead set against going now?"

"Because between the two of us, we could always find our way back because we were underground!" Michael argued stubbornly "Do you know how easily we would get lost?"

The two friends have been in a heated discussion about exploring outside of Warfang ever since they finished their breakfast. They were currently heading towards the Academy to find out in which class they would be.

"It can't be that hard." Michael gave Sion a 'are you serious' look, causing Sion to rethink his strategy "Why don't we just ask Spyro or Cynder to go with us then? Just to make sure we can find our way back here."

For once Michael seemed to consider the idea before one of his own snaked into his mind "On two conditions..."

"Name 'em."

"One, you need to get Spyro, Cynder _and_ Ember to come along." Michael demanded as they entered the grassy field "Two, I choose where we go."

Sion gave Michael a strange look as he stated the second condition "I don't understand the second one, you don't even know any places to go to."

Not even bothering to look for the rest of their friends, they both just sat down where they were to continue their conversation "I mean I want to name something I want to see." Michael explained. As he saw the still confused expression on Sion's face he decided to elaborate "There are certain places I'd like to see, like an open field to practice on, or a river to get some fresh fish...maybe even a romantic spot near a waterfall to spend time with someone special..." Michael said the last one nearly inaudibly.

"Didn't quite catch that last one?" Sion prompted the hybrid to repeat.

"Nothing, so do we have a deal?" Michael said while extending a paw to shake.

Sion took the extended paw in his own, giving it a firm shake "Deal."

After their deal was made they idly chatted about what class they would be in, how nice the weather was and most recently how Darman was being chased once again by Amber, this time joined by a black dragoness wanting in on the fun.

x

"Look on the bright side, Amber seems comfortable enough to let Cynder chase after Darman with her..." Ember said as she watched the chase continue.

"You're too much of an optimist Ember. This only means that Darman has to run from _two_ dragonesses who are perfectly capable of killing him ten times over." Flame contradicted.

"You'll have me after you again if you keep insulting me..." Ember responded with a low threatening voice.

"Settle down!" All eyes turned to the source of the voice, Terrador. Said dragon looking at a certain pair of dragonesses who merely sat on their haunches, looking at him with innocent expressions plastered on their faces.

Terrador snorted before he continued "We will now begin class assignments. Cyril will be in charge of the Beginner classes, Morris will be tending to the Intermediate classes and I will be overseeing the Advanced classes." Terrador announced "When your name is called retrieve your class schedules from me then proceed to the one you have been assigned to."

As Terrador started to slowly read the names conversations about which class they would be in broke out.

"I'm sure he'd call me out for Advanced classes any time now, no doubt impressed with my awesome fighting from yesterday!"Sion proclaimed proudly "I'm sure they'd give you a good spot based on your impressive elemental skills, don't you agree Michael?"

Sion grinned a toothy grin when he saw his words struck the right chords with the blue horned dragon "Yeah...I'm sure they will..."

"Haha! You're too easy Michael!"

"Sion!" Terrador called out "Beginner class."

"See? What'd I-wait _what_?!" Sion exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hahaha! Sweet, sweet justice!" Michael perked up as Sion began walking forward.

"Michael! Beginner class." Terrador boomed.

Michael ignored the smug look Sion was sending him as he went towards his new class, complete with his depressive cloud hanging above him once again.

xXx

The first thing Flake felt when she regained consciousness was something she had long since forgotten _'Soft...'_

As she enjoyed the comfort of the soft object beneath her, Flake started recalling the events from the previous day. As she remembered the final moments before she lost her grip on her consciousness her eyes snapped open while she made to stand. When she attempted this her eyes were pressed closed as she was forced down by the pain on her body.

"Easy! You are still very injured!" A soothing female voice told her "Just relax for now, you don't want your wounds to reopen do you? What's your name?"

To Flake the voice sounded sincere and honest, calming her down considerably _'I don't know how, but I'm safe.'_ "My name is Glacia, thank you for saving-" Flake said in a falsely polite voice, however she was to say the least, shocked to see a cheetah standing near a table not too far away from her.

With her back turned to Flake the female cheetah did not catch the shocked expression sent her way "Well Glacia, I am relieved to see you awake so soon," the cheetah said while mixing a brew "You were in terrible shape when Hunter and Meadow found you. They were by your side for a long time; they only just left to get some food."

Flake's shock was now replaced by utter confusion. She could not understand why she wasn't in a prison cell, why her wounds were being treated, why wasn't she dead?

Finally the cheetah turned around with a small cup in her paws "Drink this; it will help with the pain." As she handed Flake the remedy she finally noticed her expression "Glacia, is everything alright?"

"Y-Yes, thank you." Flake spoke as she took the cup.

"That's good to hear, I'll go get Hunter and Meadow, I am certain they are eager to meet you." The cheetah said as she exited the building.

'_This doesn't make sense, something is off.'_ Flake thought as she threw the potential poison within the cup beneath the cushions.

x

Both Hunter and Meadow sat at a table, enjoying their food servings.

As the two ate they continued talking about a certain dragoness they found.

"Think she'll be alright?" Hunter asked the village's healer.

"She certainly can't get any worse," Meadow replied "I am still very curious as to how she got those injuries...they seemed to have been made by blades."

Hunter pondered on what Meadow said while he bit into his cooked salmon "Maybe she was attacked by another clan of cheetahs?"

"That would explain why she tried to attack us," Meadow said as he finished his meal "She must have thought we were going to, like she said, 'finish the job'."

"If that is the case then they violated the peace treaty, they'll have hell to pay for attacking and nearly _killing_ a dragon." Hunter snarled.

"Hunter, Meadow!" a female cheetah in a healer uniform called.

Both males turned to face the source of the voice "Yes Alice, what is it?" Meadow asked as he saw his underling approaching.

"The dragoness, Glacia, she's awake."

Neither even bothered to clean up as they both went to the hut as fast as they could. Meadow falling far behind Hunter due to his still recovering leg.

Hunter ran straight towards the medical hut that Glacia was being kept in, swerving between the cheetahs, dragons and the occasional mole.

After a few minutes of his sprint, Hunter arrived at his destination; a large circular hut with many doors situated next to each other, housing the patients within.

It took Hunter seconds to find the room he was looking for. Sure enough, inside laid Glacia on a bed of cushions. Her angry expression now completely nonexistent.

"Glad to see you're awake." Hunter greeted the dragoness.

"Thank you for saving me, it was very kind of you." Glacia said as she bowed her head.

"Think nothing of it; I couldn't leave a dragon to die in good conscience." Hunter said as he took a seat near the smaller dragon.

"Why?" Glacia asked as she looked up.

"Huh?" Hunter intelligently returned.

"Why did you save me? You could have killed me easily." She asked in uncertainty.

"Why would I kill you? You did nothing wrong to me." Hunter assured her "Well except maybe scare me when you looked ready to blast me with whatever your element is."

"S-Sorry about that," She said as she looked away "I just thought that cheetahs and dragons hated each other."

"Hmm, they used to..." Hunter said as he cupped his paw into his chin "That changed a while ago. 2 Dragons about your age helped save this village from a huge invasion. After that the cheetahs helped in the defense of Warfang. A treaty was made a few days later."

At that moment Meadow stepped into the hut "Great to see that you are awake! How are you feeling?"

"Much better, only a bit sore when I try to stand." Glacia informed the new arrival who she assumed to be Meadow.

"Sit down Meadow," Hunter said, confirming her suspicions. Meadow slowly made his way next to Hunter where he sat down "Now Glacia," Hunter spoke softly "Can you remember who gave you those injuries?"

"It was a group of Grublins..."

As she spoke those words both Meadow and Hunter paled "This is terrible news, we thought they all ran after the fall of the Dark Master." Hunter said in grim concern.

This time it was Glacia's turn to have her eyes fly wide open "Malefor is dead?"

"Yes, he was killed by the same dragons that saved our village. This happened little over a week ago." Meadow informed the clueless dragoness "If you'll excuse me, I need to prepare your transport. Warfang is much better equipped to heal a dragon than we are."

"Go ahead Meadow," Hunter said before his voice became serious "Tell me everything you know about those Grublings."

xXx

"And so the dragons of old established a well versed treaty with the moles." Cyril lectured "As a gift of peace between the two races the great Dragon City, Warfang, was built. Even through the-"

To Spyro it was now official. School is boring. For nearly an hour now he had been forced to listen to Cyril's dull tone while he talked about the history of dragons along with 7 other dragons.

He sat in an equally dull room. There were no outstanding decorations upon the dull brown walls. The only 'decorations' upon the walls were the black board on which Cyril wrote the names of historically important dragons and several windows lining the top of the walls.

"Spyro." Cyril called to the inattentive dragon.

The rest of the class was dotted with a large number of equally dull wooden desks. Spyro looked around, noticing that the majority of these desks were empty _'They'll probably fill once Axen decides to move here...'_

"Spyro!" Cyril shouted, causing all eyes to fall upon him.

Spyro looked up to see Cyril standing right in front of his desk "Repeat my previous statement." Cyril demanded.

"I have...no idea" Spyro admitted as he stared at the stone floor beneath him.

Cyril, deciding to let Spyro go this one time, spoke again "Pay more attention while in this class."

"As I was saying," Cyril cleared his throat "In known history the first dragons were ice dragons. Many generations later earth dragons came into existence. Merely due to the difference in scale color and elemental control a war broke out, however it lasted but a month." A paw was raised by the earth dragon Geo "Yes young one, do you have a question?"

"Yeah I do, where did the earth and ice dragons come from?" Geo asked the Ice Guardian, voicing the question many had on their minds.

"A very good question." Cyril began as Geo lowered his limb "Unfortunately I do not have an answer for you. Nobody knows where the dragons came from, that information was lost in history. Some believe they rose from the ground, others believe they always existed on another continent and merely chose then to make themselves known."

"What about the other elements?" Geo asked again.

"Ah yes. A few days after the war ended the electricity dragons appeared." Cyril informed the class, now having Spyro's full attention "The ice dragons were wiser this time around, they accepted the electricity dragons with little hostility."

Cyril paused to catch his breath before he went on "Sadly the peace was not to last. The earth dragons were outraged that these new dragons were so easily accepted while they lost so many to obtain peace. A second war broke out, this time between the electricity and earth dragons."

'_How could there have been so much war between dragons? Shouldn't they have fought Malefor back then?'_ Spyro asked himself, deciding to ask Cyril about this when he is finished.

"Due to an intervention from the ice dragons the war was halted after a week of fighting. It was decided that it would not be possible to live in peace while the different species of dragons lived within the same area." Cyril noticed the disbelieving looks he got from every dragon in the room "Each element was given its own part of the continent to live on. There was peace after that for many generations; each of the dragons ignored each other while some smaller villages were created where they coexisted."

Ember raised her paw this time around "What about the fire dragons?"

"I was getting there, young one." Cyril answered "The era of peace continued undisturbed for many a generation. The era abruptly ended with the arrival of the fire dragons. Tensions were high, this time a war between all four of the dragon elements threatened to erupt. That was when the strongest and wisest of each element came together to form a more permanent solution to the crisis. These dragons were responsible for preventing the greatest war yet through diplomatic negotiations. These dragons were later known as the Guardians of Dragons, the original Guardians who possessed incredible powers."

"Even with peace formed the dragons still mistrusted each other, however no violence occurred." Cyril lingered his gaze on Spyro for a second before he spoke again "Then the first purple dragon was born. None of the dragons thought of it as much, merely believing that it was a strangely colored ice dragon. To their great surprise the purple dragon was capable of learning all 4 of the elements most commonly found along with a few others."

"This purple dragon was sent to the Guardians of Dragons for training. They trained this dragon to be the leader of the future Guardians and the entire dragon race. It was not to be. The purple dragon easily mastered all four of the basic elements along with a few others. Sadly this dragon did not seek to lead the dragon race; it sought to _rule _the dragon race. Using his mastery of the many elements, the dragon murdered the Guardians of Dragons, announcing his war openly. Can anybody tell me the name of this dragon?"

"Malefor." Spyro blurted out in disbelief. He had received the _exact_ same training as Malefor, so how did Malefor turn out the way he did?

"Yes," Cyril confirmed "Malefor received his training from the Guardians of Dragons themselves. To this day it is still unknown how Malefor became as corrupted as he was." Cyril then saw what he had hoped to see since he started: dragons as interested in history as he was, causing a small smile to appear on his muzzle "That's that for this class. Now go to the training grounds. Today we judge your elemental abilities."

Cyril waited for all of the younger dragons to leave before he went to retrieve his scrolls. While gathering the scrolls he heard the flaps of feathery wings above him.

Ignoring his precious scrolls he looked up to see a messenger falcon perched near him. Cyril reached out to the bird and gently took the note attached to its leg.

As he read the message further a frown soon crept onto his features _'This is truly unnerving news...'_ Cyril thought as he hastily wrote a reply.

As he sent the falcon on its way he gathered his scrolls along with the letter, knowing that Terrador would want to know of the development.

x

-_30 Minutes later-_

The full group of 25 dragons were standing within the Academy training grounds, waiting for the Guardians to arrive.

After a while a familiar glowing yellow ball entered the room. The new arrival was ignored by practically all of the dragons present except the one he perched on top of.

"What are you doing here Sparx?" Spyro asked his resting brother.

"What? Suddenly I can't say hello to my own brother and company?" Sparx asked sarcastically.

"Of course you can, but since you work here..."

"You thought I came here on business." Sparx finished for him, earning him a slight nod from his mount "Well you're right, the old timers want to see you, that blue one from the settlement and the demoness."

"The Guardians want to see me?" Michael asked disbelievingly.

"No, the one with the black body paint." Sparx said as he pointed towards Darman who shyly looked away.

"What do they want us for?" Cynder asked, ignoring the nickname given to her.

"Don't know and don't care, they also said it's urgent so hurry up!"

The three dragons followed the dragonfly through the Academy towards the Guardians. Eventually they arrived at a large double-door at the end of a long hallway.

"Go on in, they're waiting." Sparx said as he gestured towards the door "If you need me I'll be giving a speech to keep the rest of that annoying group."

As Sparx flew back towards the training grounds the three summoned dragons stepped into the room. They were met with an unusually quiet Volteer while both Terrador and Cyril had grim expressions.

"You called for us Terrador?" Spyro asked in an attempt to get the Guardians' attention.

"Yes, we have received dire news." Terrador answered. He then proceeded to explain about Glacia –and more importantly- what she had been attacked by.

"How can that be? We haven't seen any remnants of the Dark Army since we defeated Malefor!" Cynder nearly shouted.

"That is why we called you here. You are to go to the cheetah village to escort Glacia here. Zaak and Laciter will join you to shorten the journey." Cyril elaborated.

"But w-why am I here?" Darman asked as he spoke for the first time.

"You are to go with them to avoid questions as to why you are not to be tested today." Terrador said in a tone foreign to Spyro, but not to Cynder or Darman.

Cyril, noticing the building hostility, spoke to prevent any more from building "You three are to be tested when you return due to your...circumstances."

"Off with you, this task is to take utmost priority in your day's schedule!" Volteer commanded.

The three younger dragons quickly left the room. As they left the Academy they found Zaak and Laciter waiting for them.

x

"That's when I had to dive parrot sitting on his shoulders, saving Spyro as I did so!" Sparx retold his own version of what happened on the ship "If I hadn't then he surely would have killed Spyro and anyone else on board with his giant cannon!"

"How did he have a giant cannon if he was on his shoulders?" A random listener asked.

"He had a fuse in his hand leading to a cannon bigger than any of the Guardians!" Sparx continued exaggerating.

"The insect is lying." A red dragon from within the ground spat "If the reincarnation of Malefor couldn't do it then how could some insignificant bug like you do it?"

"It's not like Spyro is invincible," Sparx said as he scanned the crowd for the one who directly called his brother the next Malefor "He does need help at times."

Sparx was waiting for the insulting dragon to speak again, however the Guardians chose that moment to arrive along with a fire dragon the same size as them "We will now begin the testing of your elemental capabilities. All electrical affiliated dragons are to proceed with me, fire attuned dragons are to go with Inferno, earthen dragons follow Terrador and the rest follow Cyril." Volteer announced.

Cyril scowled as Volteer referred to the noble ice linage as 'the rest'. He shot a grinning Volteer the dirtiest look he could muster as the dragons moved to their assigned points.

Finally breaking the soundless lashing he was giving the Electricity Guardian he looked down upon his class. He almost instantly saw a color which did not match the rest "You there, are you not to be with Terrador?"

"I am an ice dragon, but I could go there if you want me to." The hybrid answered.

"I beg your pardon?" Cyril asked, wondering what the green scaled dragon was suggesting.

"I was born with 2 elements, so I can go either way." Michael explained "My ice element is much stronger than my earth element though."

"Then we shall test you in both elements, at a later time, for now just watch the rest of the dragons." Cyril decided.

Unable to argue with the Ice Guardian, Michael simply plopped down at the edge of the training grounds, giving him a good view of the electric and ice dragons.

The electricity dragons were tested upon the number of electricity arcs they could make, the distance of each arc, the intensity of the arcs and finally the stability of the arcs.

The ice dragons were tested upon two categories; the projectiles were judged based on their size, rate of production, sturdiness and velocity while the breath was judged by the temperature, the size of the cone and the distance it goes.

The testing was going very slowly. Michael –being as impatient as he is- got bored after the first dragon finished _'This is going to be a long day...'_ With that thought firmly in place, Michael continued watching the dragons, trying not to fall asleep.

xXx

Meanwhile five dragons were flying at record speeds towards the cheetah village, all of them not only worried about the injured dragoness, but also the news she brought with her.

"Hey Zaak?" Spyro called to the wind dragon behind him.

"Hm?" Zaak replied as he focused to maintain the tailwind.

"Have you ever heard of Glacia? Is she from the settlement?" Spyro asked, either not noticing his concentration or not caring.

"No, I have never even heard of her." Darman replied for the wind dragon.

"Where could she be from?" Spyro mused aloud.

"Master Terrador mentioned a lost search party from the coast to the north," Zaak said, reducing the intensity of the wind around them "Perhaps the two incidents are connected somehow?"

"A search party has been missing?" Zaak nodded, once more concentrating on the winds "Since the start of my search last week?" Another nod "Have the Guardians sent a group to search for them?" A third nod "Have they sent word back yet?" The first shake of his head was given.

Deciding that talking would only slow them, Spyro let a silence fall upon them to allow the three wind dragons to focus on their task at hand.

xXx

Back in the training grounds nearly all of the dragons were done with their elemental ability testing. The only one that actually remained untested was Michael.

As the last dragon finished with fire breath stomping out the previous best made by Flame by a mile, the students started going back to the centre of the large training area "Well done Pyro, your control of your element is one of the best I have seen in a dragon of your age." Inferno praised the young prodigy.

"Of course it is." Pyro snorted "If the second best is Flame then I see little hope for the future of fire dragons."

Inferno glared at the smaller dragon for insulting his son, resisting the urge to strike the mightier-than-thou attitude from him.

"You all did well in displaying your abilities," Terrador announced to the gathered dragons "The placement of your class shall be announced tomorrow morning. You may have the rest of the day off. Dismissed!"

As the dragons began dispersing one in particular was stopped by Cyril "Now would be the time for your test young one."

Michael looked back towards his friends and gave them a face splitting grin as he spoke "I'll catch up to you guys later. I gotta get a spot in the Advanced classes first."

"Yeah right!" Sion called back "Just remember, now you _have_ to use your elements, so don't start punching."

"You're gonna keep that against me for a while, aren't you?" Michael asked with a flat expression.

"Yup! Not going to-OW!" Sion turned his attention towards her attacker "Why'd you shock me?!"

Amber pointed towards an impatient looking Cyril "You want to keep him waiting any longer?"

Both Michael and Sion ceased their argument "Thank you young one, you are wise for an electricity dragoness."

A vein appeared on Amber's head at the Ice Guardian's words. Flame and Ember both saw that Amber was about to do something she would regret in the very near future.

"Come on Amber!" Flame said to his impulsive friend "I think I saw Darman walking down the hall just now!" Flame fibbed.

"He's right!" Ember supported "He just rounded the corner."

As if a switched had been flipped, the angry expression morphed into an annoyed expression "How dare he run from being tested! He's as good as fried!" she shot a quick glance towards Michael "Good luck!" With that she vanished from the scene, taking the rest of the dragons with her.

Cyril gestured for Michael to follow him which he did without question.

"Why is that dragoness after young Darman?" Cyril asked the hybrid as they approached Terrador.

"She's trying to electrocute him." Michael said matter-of-factly.

"What?" Cyril asked in disbelief.

"It's a long story," Michael sighed "But don't worry, he won't get hurt."

Before Cyril could ask him to elaborate they reached the second Guardian "Cyril tells me you posses the ability to use both ice and earth?" Terrador asked.

"Yes Master Terrador." Michael confirmed.

"Would you demonstrate the extent of your earth abilities?" Terrador requested of the young dragon.

Michael nodded in response. It took him a few minutes to demonstrate what he knew, from his small earth pillars to his brittle earth missiles.

"I am sorry to inform you Michael, but your earth element is that of a beginner at the best." Terrador informed the downcast looking dragon.

"He told me that his primary element is ice, would you care to demonstrate?"

Once more Michael nodded. This time he unleashed a small torrent of sub zero water, freezing the area before him along with the targeted dummies.

"That is your ice element?" Cyril asked, sounding displeased "That is not of the noble ice heritage!"

"Calm yourself Cyril," Terrador shot to the Ice Guardian "However I am inclined to agree with him, that looked much more like the Elemental Combination of fire and ice, who taught you this?" Terrador asked as he had another thought on his mind _'How is this possible? A dragon other than Spyro possessing almost all four of the basic elements!'_

Michael merely shook his head at the prospect "Nobody taught me how to do that and I know for a fact I do not possess the fire element." Michael told the Guardians. He had seen the glow of enough fire dragons to know he has no such heat within him.

"Then tell us, how do you explain the liquid state of what you use?" Cyril said, still annoyed at the prospect of the youngling calling that an ice element "The only known way to achieve such a state of ice is to combine it with the heat emission of fire!"

"I do it the same way I shoot earth missiles!" Michael stood firm, rapidly losing respect for the Ice Guardian "I build the energies within my body, condense it in my maw and release it."

"That is not how to use the ice element." Cyril smugly informed.

"Neither the earth projectiles." Terrador agreed.

"What?" Michael was honestly surprised by this "But I always make them like that, and they work! If I didn't do that then I couldn't heal either."

With yet another unusual ability revealed the two Guardians looked at him with renewed curiosity "Explain." They both said in unison.

Michael looked between the two larger dragons before he began his explanation "I can use my ice element,"

"Not ice." Cyril helpfully added.

"To heal minor wounds and numb pain of larger wounds." Michael continued, completely unfazed by Cyril's comment "I do it mostly like I do my breath attack. I gather the energy within myself then instead of channeling it toward my maw I focus on condensing it between my paws," Michael proceeded to do just that "Like this. Finally I press it on the area to heal it and numb it."

"Preposterous," Cyril snorted "No ice dragon in known history has been able to do that, ergo you are no ice dragon!"

"Settle down Cyril." Terrador spoke in an attempt to break the hostile atmosphere "You have a very unique talent young one, have you ever considered doing extra medical training while Cyril and I will help develop both your elements further, won't we Cyril?"

"Absolutely not!" Cyril bellowed as he slammed a front paw into the ground "I cannot accept something like that as an ice dragon!"

"Quiet yourself!" Terrador shouted, voice firm "You are dismissed young one, I need to have a word with Cyril."

xXx

After a much shortened flight to the cheetah village -courtesy of the wind dragons accompanying them- Spyro and his group were met with a familiar furry face.

"Spyro, Cynder!" Hunter greeted his two draconic friends "How'd you get here so fast?"

"Wind dragons." Came the reply as he pointed towards two white dragons behind him.

"That's fortunate," Hunter beckoned the group to follow him. Three of the five did while the other two white ones simply took off back to Warfang "Did you bring the gems?"

Spyro reached into the pouch around his neck, pulling out a few red gems "Cynder also brought a few green gems."

Hunter smiled "Good, we should get them to the huts quickly." Hunter said as he increased his walking pace.

The female of the group easily heard concern within those few spoken words "Is there something wrong Hunter?" Cynder asked the cheetah warrior.

"There is actually," Hunter started "You will see for yourselves shortly."

They were now nearly going in light jog. Spyro and Cynder both followed closely behind the cheetah while the shy void dragon kept silent and went with it, lagging behind slightly.

Eventually they slowed down as they arrived at a large circular hut with many doors.

Hunter turned to address the three dragons as they stopped at a particular door "She's still recovering, so please refrain from causing a ruckus." As he said this his eyes locked with those of Cynder who looked as if she had no idea what he meant "Wait here while I see if she is awake."

With a defeated sigh he stepped into the room "Meadow, Glacia? The dragons from Warfang are here with the healing gems."

"Welcome back Hunter." A feminine voice greeted the cheetah.

"So nice of you to join us." A more sarcastic voice said "But I suppose it's alright, who did they send?"

Hunter grinned at the question "Two of your old friends." Hunter answered as he leant out the door "You can come in."

The first to walk in was the black scaled dragoness "Hi Cynder!" Meadow greeted cheerfully.

Cynder winced, expecting the usual out to come from the ice dragoness. To her surprise it never came "Hello Cynder, it's nice to meet you."

Cynder stood dumbstruck for a moment before replying "Hello Glacia, I brought the gems you need."

Glacia smiled to her as Cynder stepped deeper into the room, allowing the next dragon to walk in.

The next reaction Glacia gave was one that nobody expected.

Her facial features crumpled into what could only described as pure hate as she uttered a single word through clenched fangs "Malefor..."

xXx

**A/N**

**A small cliffy! No complaining I haven't done one since you waited for Spyro's reaction to Cynder after the makeover :P**

**Now to answer a few questions I got in reviews. I will be shortening most of them since many people posted reviews nearly as long as this chapter xD**

**From: HiImLuffy: **"You spanked this last to chapters on them BOTTOM. O any one reads this Review. Remember , that Airchi's birthday is the 26th of this month. Remeber to congratz him. Follow him on ask for he;s details personly. Nice story man. Cant w8 for the next one :D! its like extacy!"  
**Thank you for remembering Luffy, and I must say, your praises are really (in a word) unique, really gets me going with a good laugh!**

**From: FanDecaGirl: **"It's still a great story, you should keep going with it when you can. People like you should win awards for stories like this!"  
**Thanks a lot for the confidence booster but I am way off from something like that :)**

**From: Zizima: **"For bugging me so much I'll make the guessing a bit easier. The one he is referring to uses Lighting Blade as one of his few own attacks.  
Like I told you before, well done with the chapter and very good job at bringing the Earth Elementals into this."  
**You can really be an ass when you want to, completely giving it away :/  
Leaving that behind since still nobody got it right, thank you and I hope I can introduce the Electric Elementals just as well.**

**From: Unit Omicron: **"Your creative ways that you use to discouraging flaming at the end of the chapters always makes me laugh. XD Two elementals down, two to go. I hope the Guardians do something about it before all four are awakened!"  
**Those flame discouragers seem to be working so far, so I'll keep 'em coming :D  
Like I said before there is no way the Guardians will be stupid enough to just sit idly by and let that happen, but that won't be their only problem for very long...**

**From: ****Coincidencless****: **"I feel Darman did something awful with his element. His element /is/ void, The absence of energy, absence of matter. Did he drain the energy in someone's brain by accident? Annihilate their heart? Scary to think of.  
And of course, go Flake! I really like how you're making the 'bad' guys not all that bad. Yet.  
**Hmmm...Maybe he did something like that or something similar, who knows? (It's a reason to keep you lot reading so I'm gonna milk it for all it's worth!).  
Well I can't let them appear evil that much, that kinda ruins the whole 'blending in' plan.**

**From: Phoenix of Decay: **"Again I'm mentioned. Are you trying to get me in the hospital with you?! Anywho, just make sure Moneybags doesn't get wind of Amber trying to kill Darman, he'd charge a fortune for people to watch it.  
Can we go 4 chapters in a row on mentions? I hope so :)"  
**Whatddya know, a fourth mention! Shall we go for 5?  
No no, let Moneybags come, I'll be sure to make him a part of that very show he'll be charging for :D**

**From: MurosakiKuroAkai: **"  
On a somewhat related side note: Yay! Early new chapter! Orientation went rather well. In regards to Amber's latest electrocution attempt (at the end), that definitely has got to both hurt and stink (literally). Looking forward to the next chapter, and get well soon! :-)"  
**Heh well this one is a bit more on schedule with the 2 weeks delay unfortunately :(  
Glad you liked that little chase at the end.**

**From: Wolfartist117: **"Aww poor spyro in the arena. Would love to see him on a rampage a bit with that later."  
**He most likely will, but I got a bit of a twist for when that time comes.**

**(Note to this guy: Seriously, longest review I have EVER seen, had to cut out most of it as to avoid flames like you said xD!)  
From: JJays98: **"I liked the idea at the beginning, where the wars over, but not everyone knows it is, allowing you to add hostility and depth to the story about other characters, which is quite genius, because it brings in a new perspective of the spyro fanfic stories which other stories(or very few) don't, which really stand out to me. And I like this idea of a new threat rising, ready to cause chaos, because it allows you to bring action into the story, which stops it from being boring. So you really have pieced it out quite well.  
Only improvement I would say, is, introduce your characters gradually throughout the story."  
**Longest compliment I ever got, thank you! :)  
As for the flaw I have, thanks for pointing it out, I'll be sure to avoid that in later chapters and future stories.**

**From: Stealth: **"I hope you recover at astounding speeds. Would red gems help? (Sorry had to) I love what you have done with the story! Now I know you have plans for flake but I kinda feel bad for her! Is there any way in the future she will turn good? Not saying this in any disrespect I just feel bad for her. Now you recover man!"  
**Hahaha! I'll ask Spyro for some if he decides to visit :P  
I can't answer that one about Flake as anything I say would lead to people assuming things (Like how Phoenix of Decay very nearly guessed out the roles of the Elementals last chapter).**

**That ends the review answering! Don't forget to vote on the poll that you can find on my profile!**

**As always, constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms. For your own safety and those around you, please, refrain from flaming as flames have a very high temperature. Using flames on your computer will more than likely not only fry the piece of technology, but it will also cause severe burns to you and, if left unattended, cause your house to catch alight (Community service: Done).**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**

**Iiiiiit's heeere…**

**Finally got around to finishing chapter 10! Once again thanks to Darman700 for his overflow of awesomeness in support! (This sentence is valid).**

**Won't keep you long so I'll make it short: I am starting work again tomorrow as I can walk enough without my legs giving in after a minute. So the next chapter might come a bit later than usual.**

**HOWEVER, there is a solution. This is a challenge to my reader, if I am somehow able to reach 100 reviews with this chapter, I will abandon my dota2 playing in favor of making a double update! So get to reviewing everyone! :D**

**Flip back 2 or so chapters for the Disclaimer…**

**Quick mention: The poll is still on, please vote on my profile for your favorite dragon of this story!**

"Normal talking."

'_Thinking.'_

_::And a new one, Elementals talking.::_

**A/Ns in bold. Enjoy the chapter!**

xXx

"W-What?" Spyro asked, completely perplexed by the question.

"What are you doing here?!" Glacia shouted as she frantically looked between the rest of the creatures in the room "Why are you just standing there? He'll kill us!" She warned them, attempting to save herself from what she believed to be imminent death if he remembers her.

Those words struck deeply to Spyro. For the first time ever he got a true glimpse of what Cynder has to deal with on a daily basis. To be feared and hated did not sit right with the purple hero.

Meadow was the first to react "Spyro, maybe you should step out of the room for a bit."

Spyro nodded, understanding that whilst he remains there Glacia would not calm down. He turned to leave the room, stepping past Hunter "What are you doing? Don't let him get away!" He heard the frantic cry of Glacia as he reached the door. When he got outside he stood next to Darman, trusting those inside to explain things to the ice dragoness.

"What's going on in there?" Asked the void dragon.

Spyro let out a long sigh "Glacia thinks I'm Malefor. I can't believe everyone I first meet thinks I'm Malefor; I'm not even half his size!"

"Glacia just calm down," Hunter spoke softly with his paws raised in a disarming gesture "Give us a chance to explain, this is not what you think it is."

"What's there to explain?" Glacia growled "How could you be allies with Malefor after he killed so many-"

"That's not Malefor!" Cynder loudly interjected "In fact, he's the one who killed him!"

Cynder's statement silenced the panicking dragoness for several seconds before she spoke again "That's a lie!" Glacia denied the truth "He's a purple dragon; there is nothing else he can be!"

"He's the savior of the realms." Hunter calmly cut in "He killed Malefor a little over a week ago then pulled the collapsing world together again."

Glacia visibly stiffened at what the cheetah warrior just told her _'That's around the same time we woke up...'_ Glacia thought as she looked towards the door _'Could such a small dragon truly have killed Malefor by himself?'_

"He is also the second recorded purple dragon to be born." Cynder said, effectively snapping Glacia from her thoughts "His _name_ is Spyro, _not_ Malefor."

"Please," Glacia began as she retracted her rage, attempting to continue with her façade "Let me apologize to him." She once again spoke in her withdrawn, humble voice.

Cynder nodded, accepting the request. She stuck her head out of the door as she spoke "Spyro, Darman, come in."

Both dragons nodded before following the dragoness into the small room. The moment Spyro entered the room Glacia kept calm this time around, she only stiffened slightly at the sight of the purple dragon.

"I...I am sorry for acting so harshly. It's just that..." Glacia hesitated for a moment, contemplating what to say. She hid her hesitation well with a façade of sadness _'Damn, I'll have to change my story!'_ Glacia grunted inwardly, quickly changing her story and hoping for the best "It's just that most of the dragons in my village were k-killed a little over a month ago." Glacia lied "My parents hid me in the basement of our house; I was just barely able to make out the color purple outside the house before they hid me."

This news shocked Spyro and Cynder even more than the fact that she was attacked by a group of Grublins "Why would Malefor personally attack your village?"

"I've asked myself that question many times..." Glacia softly said, appearing close to tears to those around her "If you truly have defeated him then you have my eternal gratitude, maybe now the spirits of my parents can rest in peace..."

Spyro smiled warmly at her "I am glad we were able to give you some respite." Spyro turned to face Cynder as he continued "Let's give her the crystals, hopefully she'll be ready to leave by tomorrow."

Cynder nodded, not wanting to speak further in fear of Glacia recognizing her as the Terror of the Skies.

As the two dragons handed their satchels to the cheetah healer Glacia decided to make a request "Would you please tell me the story of your adventures? I am truly curious as to how you came to avenging my parents."

Spyro turned to Cynder, asking permission to tell the injured dragoness of the first time they met "We'd be happy to tell you." Cynder responded, answering both Glacia's request and Spyro's unasked question.

xXx

Several hours have passed since Cyril and Terrador saw a demonstration from Michael. They were currently within the usual meeting chamber, awaiting the third Guardian, the captain of Axen's guard and the chief of the cheetah village.

As they waited for the remaining meeting attendees, Terrador decided to address Cyril on an issue the Ice Guardian seemed to have no remorse about "Cyril, why did you act so coldly **(no pun intended)** towards young Michael?" Terrador started "I understand your respect and pride for the ice element, but that does not excuse how you treated him."

Cyril turned a surprised gaze onto Terrador as he spoke "Have you truly forgotten what has been taught to us by our mentors?" Taking the questioning look he received as a response, Cyril took it upon himself to explain further "The Corrupted Ice Guardian is said to possess a variation of the ice element very similar if not _exactly_ like the one that young dragon used."

"So you believe him to be the Corrupted Ice Guardian?" Terrador asked, not believing it for a second.

"No, all the Elementals have yet to be awakened, ergo; young Michael could not possibly be the Corrupted Guardian of Ice." Cyril stated logically.

"Then why do you insist on having such an attitude towards him?" asked Terrador, not wanting the young one to lose more respect to the Guardians as he already has.

"I am fearful of that element he possesses," Cyril answered "That element has the potential to kill far more effectively than that of the regular ice element because of its density." Cyril then inclined his muzzle slightly into the air as he closed his eyes and looked forward "Not to mention the disgrace it brings upon the purest of the five elements!"

Terrador chuckled at the typically Cyril answer. They waited for another twenty minutes in silence as Volteer, Morris and Prowlus finally arrived.

After some brief greetings the ever serious Prowlus got the meeting started "Let us not waste any further time on unnecessary pleasantries." The cheetah chief spoke as he looked at Terrador "Why have you called this meeting?"

"You are aware of the crisis with the Ice Elementals correct?" Prowlus nodded, not liking where this is going "Yesterday evening an unnatural tremor was felt by Morris and I."

"I did not feel any tremors. Besides what does a geometric occurrence have to do with this meeting?"

"That tremor we felt was a signal," Terrador continued explaining "It was a signal that the Earth Elementals have been awoken."

"Are you telling me there are even more of those _things _running rampant!?" Prowlus shouted in near panic. He remembered how worried the Guardians were about one of those things, and now there were two to worry about?

"Which is why we have called this meeting." Cyril confirmed the cheetah chief's fears "Since we know where the Elementals will strike next to obtain the Orb of Electricity we are able to defend it from the creatures."

"However we will not be able to win a war simply by defending." Said Terrador "In order to vanquish the Dragon Realms of these Elementals, we will have to seek out their source of power before they are able to awaken their leaders. In doing so we will seal them away again for several hundred years, thousands should we be lucky."

"How do you propose we locate these sources of powers?" Prowlus skeptically asked the Guardians.

"We are merely to trace the location of the originally awoken abomination where its power would peak." Volteer rapidly explained "In this situation it being the ElementalsconsistingofIce the most probable destination for-"

"Dante's Freezer." Cyril silenced the fast talking Guardian "The very place the loud mouth was imprisoned is most likely to contain the source of power of the Ice Elementals."

"There is one obstacle we must overcome first. We do not have nearly enough dragons to combat this threat." Terrador stated darkly. His words couldn't have been truer; Warfang barely has any dragons available to defend _both_ Warfang and the Orb of Electricity, much less actively seek out a powerful enemy's stronghold "As of now, all we can do is defend the Orb of Electricity. I hate to do this but I fear our only hope may lie with Spyro and Cynder once more."

Prowlus raised an eyebrow at this "How so Terrador?"

"They are both some of the most powerful, if not the _most_ powerful, dragons currently in existence."

"That would be an illogical decision to settle upon Terrador." Said Volteer "Young Spyro, as we have all witnessed, is in no condition to combat this immense threat to the Realms, even with young Cynder assisting him in his exploits."

"I am aware of that Volteer." Terrador defended his decision "I never said Spyro is to go immediately. First we shall allow him to recover then we shall teach him the advanced form of Elemental Manipulation. Only _after_ he has sufficient comprehension of the art shall we tell him of the Elementals."

"Shouldn't we at the very least inform the young hero and Cynder?" Morris asked the Guardians.

Not missing Morris' subtle disrespect for Cynder, but deciding to ignore it, Terrador spoke "I have considered it and decided it would not be wise as Spyro would most likely seek out the Elementals before he is capable of combat."

"I understand your point Terrador. Let's continue to the next matter."

"Indeed." Cyril began "With the younger generation of dragons now in the Academy, we must begin focusing more intently on the wall's repairs should we suffer from an unexpected assault."

xXx

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Ple-"

"NO!" Michael shouted, he was getting _very_ annoyed with his fellow classmate and friend "You asked me this yesterday and I gave you two conditions didn't I?"

"You did." Confirmed Sion.

"Are Ember, Spyro _and_ Cynder coming?"

"No, they were sent on some task by the Guardians." Sion explained.

"Now that makes the second condition null and void doesn't it?" Asked Michael sarcastically.

"It does." Sion confirmed again.

"So if neither condition is met, what is my answer?"

"No?" Sion asked dejectedly.

"Yes." Michael confirmed.

"Yes!" Sion exclaimed.

"Don't start."

"You're no fun." Sion said as he sighed a sad sigh.

"I don't wake up to please, I wake up to tease." Michael stated proudly.

"Anyway..." Sion started, ignoring the hybrid's statement "I haven't seen Ember, Amber or Flame yesterday, you know where they are?"

"Ember spent the day helping Amber clean herself after what Darman did," Both dragons had to bite back their laughter, recalling the expression on Amber's face and the chase that followed "And I think Flame went to play Flyball with Lizz and Zaph's group."

"Must have been hard for you, no couples to give a hard time?" Sion asked jokingly.

Michael sighed sadly "You have no idea; I'll have to redouble my efforts for today!"

"That's the spirit!" Sion encouraged his friend as they entered their class.

"You're late." Cyril said while tapping a paw impatiently on the floor "No matter. Today I will be teaching you of the truly eventful history of dragon leaders and politicians!"

'_Oh joy...'_ was the joined thoughts of all the younger dragons present.

x

Meanwhile in the Advanced classes, Flame was sitting alone in the classroom with Terrador, awaiting the second advanced trainee.

"So do you know this Pyro master Terrador?" Flame asked, breaking the silence in the room.

"I am afraid not, I only know as much as you do about him, he is from another village." Terrador explained.

No more was said after that. Terrador patiently waited for Pyro to arrive whilst Flame was growing more and more impatient.

After a further 15 minutes of waiting, the tardy dragon finally arrived. Without even an apology to the Earth Guardian, Pyro made his way to his seat.

Flame turned to face the arrogant dragon "You could say 'sorry' for being late."

"And you could shut the hell up, I'm here aren't I?" Pyro growled back.

Flame returned the growl, both dragons seemed ready to strike at each other, which would likely have happened had Terrador not played peace bringer "Settle down. This is neither the time nor place for combat; you shall have your battle later today in the training grounds."

"Tch, doesn't matter where I fight this loser, he doesn't have a chance." Pyro scoffed.

"What was that?" Flame asked, his growl growing ever louder.

"I said you will lose. Losers are not capable of victory."

"Enough!" Terrador shouted "Since you two seem so keen on verbal combat, today's lesson will be about riling your opponent up into making a mistake in battle."

xXx

The next morning in the cheetah village was a peaceful one. Spyro, Cynder and Darman were able to greet the dragoness without getting lashed at.

The trio of dragons were surprised the previous night when Spyro and Cynder told Glacia that Cynder was the Terror of the Skies and Glacia merely said "It's fortunate that you are no longer evil."

They soon learned that Glacia exhausted her element in an attempt to get away from her assaulters. But whenever they would ask Glacia about her life at her village she would understandably say that it still hurts to talk about it and they left it at that.

Throughout the story she was steadily treated with Red and Green Spirit Gems to speed up her recovery. She was to be transported back to Warfang later in the day and considering the damage to her wings, the transport would be by land.

Spyro and Cynder were currently enjoying a meaty breakfast whilst Darman was keeping the ice dragoness company.

"Spyro?"

"Yes Cynder?"

Cynder drew in a breath "Are you worried that the Dark Army could be reassembling? Possibly under a different leader?"

"I am a bit worried about that," Spyro admitted "But we defeated Malefor to achieve peace –if even for a short while- last time. If there were a new leader, I doubt it'd be as big a threat as Malefor was."

Cynder let out the breath she held in as she spoke "Good. Let's enjoy the peace while it lasts then."

Spyro smiled warmly at her before he greedily dug into the final remnants of his rabbit.

"Honestly Spyro, I need to teach you some table manners!" Cynder scolded the purple dragon as she looked upon the disgusting scene.

"Whath dith you sthay?" He asked with a maw full of food.

"Swallow. Now." Cynder spoke in a slightly threatening way.

Not wanting to disobey a dragoness with a razor sharp tail Spyro did as he was told "Sorry." He added sheepishly.

"When we get back to Warfang you _will_ be taught proper manners around a lady." Cynder firmly told him.

"Why would I do that?" Spyro asked cluelessly "The only one I ever eat with is you."

In an instant a pure expression of rage overcame her features for a moment before she smiled sweetly at him "Spyro?"

"Yes?" Said the purple dragon, oblivious of his fatal mistake.

"I am giving you five seconds to run." She spoke in a voice matching her smile.

"Why?"

"Five." She began, her smile slightly fading.

"Did I do something wrong?" Spyro asked as he took a step back.

"Four." Her smile was now gone.

Spyro was now sweating slightly "Please tell me what I did?"

"Three..." Cynder was now baring her fangs.

"Oh shit!" Spyro swore as he took to the skies in an attempt to escape from the killer dragoness.

"Two..." Cynder unfolded her wings, ready to take off after the fleeing dragon.

"ONE!" Cynder said as she took the skies "Get back here!" She yelled at the top of her lungs "I am going to _kill_ you for that!"

Spyro turned to face the source of the voice. What he saw made him fear for his life. Cynder was flying at full speed towards him with a murderous glint in her eyes "What did I do?!" Spyro helplessly screamed to the empty sky as he was hit by a strong gust of wind.

x

"Have you ever been to Warfang?" Darman asked the dragoness in recovery.

"No," Glacia admitted "But I have heard stories about the great Dragon City. Is it really big enough to hold hundreds of dragons?"

Darman chuckled a bit at this "Hehe, it's much bigger than that. If I were to guess it could house thousands of dragons in its residential districts."

"_Thousands?!"_ Glacia asked in disbelief. Last she heard of the Dragon City from Appolonir he told her that Warfang was filled to the brim with about 500 dragons.

"Yeah, and that's not even counting the marketing districts!" Explained Darman with excitement.

"That's incredible!" Glacia stated in awe.

Darman was about to strike a new conversation when he heard a loud 'thud' from outside.

"What was that?" Glacia wondered.

"I don't know, I'll go check." Darman offered as he walked out the door.

He was met by the sight of an unmoving Spyro with a few small cuts and bruises on his body lying underneath a very angry looking Cynder.

Cynder took her paw from his head, only then noticing Darman looking onto the scene with a slight tinge of fear "I-Is he...?"

Cynder snorted as she got off of the purple dragon "Get Meadow to look after him..."

"What happened?" Darman asked, fearing that Cynder may have reverted to her old self.

"He said something very, very stupid!" Cynder snarled as she stomped off.

'_Convexity hath no fury like a woman scorned...'_ Darman thought to himself as he carried Spyro into the hut.

x

An hour later a slightly bandaged purple dragon was lying on a small pile of cushions in the same room as Glacia.

The scratches on his body weren't deep, but some of them contained small doses of a pain inducing toxin _'Three guesses where that came from...'_ Spyro whined to himself _'I never thought Cynder would get so aggressive because of some bad table manners, I better fix that before she kills me.'_

Currently Darman and Hunter were waiting along with the purple savior and shy dragoness for a still very aggravated Cynder.

During their time spent waiting Hunter asked Spyro to tell them why Cynder attacked him. He retold it nearly word-for-word along with him thinking that his table manners caused Cynder's unexpected attack.

The collective reaction in the room after he said that was that faces met paws with Hunter adding in a quick "I don't blame her."

Several minutes after that Cynder finally joined their ranks, looking a bit calmer.

"Are you ready to go Cynder?" asked Hunter as Cynder entered the room.

"I am, how long do you expect the trip to take?" Cynder asked as she shot a dirty look towards Spyro.

"We should arrive in Warfang just after nightfall if we depart within the hour." Hunter informed the group.

"What are we wasting time for then? Let's go."

"Eager to get back are we? No matter, we just have to move Glacia from that bed to a more mobile one." Hunter then proceeded to get a slightly elevated, mobile platform with a single cushion on it "Can you walk or should we lift you onto it?"

"I think I can walk onto it, thank you." Glacia responded as she slowly got up from her position. She took several shaky steps forward until her front paws were on the platform. After much effort and nearly falling twice, Glacia was able to lift herself onto her transport.

"Good, now we can go." Hunter said with a smile as he took hold of the handle sticking out of the front of the mobile platform.

xXx

After many hours of sleep, which included classes, the day at the Academy finally drew to a close. The students went about their own ways along with their friends, all save for Sion and Flame.

When the classes ended Flame found Ember and asked her to spend the rest of the day with her. She declined the request, saying that she already promised to spend the day with Amber.

Sion went to find Michael in another attempt to talk him into exploring the outside of Warfang along with him. This time however, Michael had a proper excuse for not coming. The Guardians wanted him to further demonstrate his healing ability to some medical dragons.

Sion then spent the remainder of the hour wandering aimlessly through the market district of Warfang. He had a few gems on him, but he wasn't really looking to buy anything until he heard a voice from his side.

"You there! You look like quite a bored dragon!" The voice spoke "I have just the thing to help you cure that, come over here!"

Sion turned to fully face the speaker. What he saw could only be described as an obese bear in a tuxedo carrying a bag with the image of a gem on it. He was standing behind a counter cluttered with seemingly random wears and a larger store was behind him.

"What do you mean Mr. ...?" Sion asked the strange person.

"Moneybags, Kuma Moneybags!" The fat bear greeted, extending a paw in greeting which Sion hesitantly shook.

"Sion." He introduced himself "Now what do you have to lift my boredom Moneybags?"

"Oh I have the perfect item for you!" Moneybags said as he bent forwards to look for something "You look like quite the adventurous dragon, being kept in Warfang with nowhere else to go must be driving you crazy! Fortunately, I K. Moneybags, have just the item to help you!" He then stood up holding a rolled up piece of paper in his paws.

Sion merely gave the oversized bear a deadpan look "That piece of paper is supposed to relieve me of my boredom?"

"Oh you naive little dragon, it's not the paper itself that will cure your disease of boredom," Money bags then proceeded to fold open the paper, revealing a map within "But what's _inside_ that will help you with your dilemma!"

Sion visibly brightened up at this, with a map he would be able to see the outside of Warfang on his own! He wouldn't need anybody to show him around or to help him find his way back _'This is perfect!'_

As if reading his expression Moneybags spoke on "This is a one of a kind map, made by Celsius, the previous Fire Guardian, himself! There is no other map like this in existence!"

"How much is it?" Sion asked excitedly. Not _only_ could he get a map, but a map made by one of the previous Fire Guardians!

With a slight glint in his eye Moneybags spoke again "Normally this fine relic would go for nearly a thousand gems," As he saw Sion's jaw drop he knew he had him "But since this is a special occasion, I would lower the price only for today...say 100 gems?"

At that Sion deflated "I only have 80..."

A small frown appeared on Moneybags' face "I'm sorry Sion, but then I can't sell you this. Come back when you have enough gems to pay for this."

Sion sighed sadly, he was _so_ close to being able to explore, then this happens! **(Moneybags has screwed us all over at some point!).**

As he turned around he spotted something that gave him some hope. There within the crowd was none other than Flame.

"Flame!" Sion shouted as he made a bee line for his fire dragon friend.

"Hey Sion, what are you doing here?" Flame asked as the earth dragon approached him.

"I was just wandering around, looking for something to do when I found the most amazing thing!" Sion told Flame everything about his plans about exploring the outside of Warfang a bit. When he came to the part about the map made by Celsius Flame got just as excited "Unfortunately I do not have enough gems for it, it costs 100 and I only have 80..."

"Then let's go buy it! I have 70 gems with me! We can each pay 50 gems for it!" Flame suggested "I just want to keep it first to show it to my parents after we explored, deal?"

"Deal!" Sion accepted hastily.

The two dragons made their way back towards the big boned bear's shop "Welcome back Sion, I see you brought a friend with you this time!"

"Yes, his name is Flame!" Sion introduced his friend.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Kuma" Flame greeted the bear.

"And you as well Flame, now what can I do for you two?"

"We would like to buy Celsius' map!" Sion informed the widely grinning bear.

"Excellent choice! I assume you have the necessary funds this time?" Moneybags asked of the two dragons.

"We do." They both spoke. Sion took out a small purple gem, two yellow ones and a single blue one. Flame on the other paw took out 25 green gems.

"Excellent choice my young friends!" Moneybags exclaimed as he exchanged the map for the gems held by the dragons. "I hope you enjoy your purchase! Please come again!"

"Alright! Let's go see what it looks like outside of Warfang!" Sion cheered as he and Flame took to the skies.

xXx

Several hours later Hunter and the group of dragons were taking their first rest of their journey. They were about a third of the way there. All the while the group took turns on pulling Glacia's bed.

The tension between Spyro and Cynder has lessened ever since Spyro apologized to Cynder for his manners. Cynder merely gave him a light smack on the head while saying "It's not that." She had realized that Spyro meant no offence to her; he never even seemed to realize what he had said wrong!

"How long until we get there?" Darman asked the cheetah warrior as they ate a light snack of berries.

"We are only a third of the way there, Darman; it's going to take many more hours before we actually arrive at Warfang." Hunter informed the impatient void dragon "Speaking of which, break's over, let's get moving." Hunter then stood up and took a hold of the handle to pull Glacia.

The walk itself wasn't all that bad. Darman told them all more of his life in the settlement and how Flame was his only friend for a very long time. Sion was the last one he made friends with, his father didn't want Sion to have anything to do with the dark blue dragon. Eventually Sion ignored the rules and approached the dragon, they quickly became friends afterwards. A few months later Amber arrived in the settlement. When they shook paws in greeting Amber turned a light shade of red on her face. The following day she became aggressive towards Darman. Since that day she attempted to electrocute him on a daily basis.

Hunter told them of how he struggled to become the best and most respected warrior within his village. Surprisingly he and Tro had a fierce rivalry going on. Their spars ended in stalemates as Tro had more brute strength whilst Hunter possessed far more agility. It was only by the motivation they gave each other that they were able to become the strongest in the village. Eventually they went their separate ways. Hunter wanted to explore more of the world and Tro merely wanted to settle down. The decision eventually led Hunter to searching for the lost heroes for three years and caused Tro to become the chief of the guard in the village.

Spyro started telling them about how he was raised by Flash and Nina when he was a hatchling, of how he had trouble fitting in, but his story was interrupted.

"Hey, what's that?" Darman asked as he pointed to a strange protrusion in the ground up ahead.

"I don't know, it looks a bit like a mound of dirt." Hunter dropped the handle to Galcia's bed as he approached the strange sight. It reached him to just above his waist, about the same size as Spyro. Upon closer inspection he got an unpleasant sense of déjà vu. The mound looked a lot like the obelisk he found during his search for Spyro, only this one consisted of loose rubble and contained no gaping hole in the middle "Doesn't look like anything, let's just keep going."

They all nodded, not missing the nervous edge in Hunter's voice. Cynder took the handle of the bed this time, not noticing the subtle smirk Glacia had on her muzzle.

As Spyro passed the pile of rubble it emitted low noise akin to that of two rocks sliding against each other. Spyro stopped dead and took a step closer to the pile _'What was that?'_

"Spyro be careful around that thing!" Hunter warned as he put a paw to the bow on his back.

Spyro, turned to look at Hunter as he spoke "I just thought I heard something, but I-"

"DUCK!" Darman yelled from behind him. Out of experience in war Spyro did as he was told, avoiding the clubbing appendage narrowly missing him.

Knowing where the attack came from, Spyro turned around swiftly and jumped back, lashing out with his tail as he did so. He completely missed his target as his tail passed through nothing but air.

He kept going until he was next to Hunter. As he turned around what he saw shot him into silence. The mound was _moving_. It wasn't using any visible legs to move or anything, the earth was merely falling from it and replacing the fallen earth with that beneath it.

This...thing...had a single small hole within its centre. Beneath a few small spikes of earth was what looked to be a solid sphere of light.

"What is that thing?!" Cynder shouted her question.

"I-I think that's an Earth Elemental!" Hunter answered "But the Guardians said only the Ice Elementals are awake!" Hunter said, approaching panic. He knew these Elementals had some form of communication based on what the Guardians told him. He was willing to bet his best bow that the noise they heard earlier was a cry for help.

"Darman, stay near Glacia!" Cynder ordered as she leapt as fast as he body would allow her towards the strange being. As she approached she had no idea what the creature would do next, it had no facial expressions to read to determine its next move or any muscles to warn of an impending attack.

The only warning she had of the attack that followed her was a slight rumbling in the earth beneath her. Acting on instinct she jumped to the side, avoiding a painful earth pillar that shot up form where she would have been moments ago.

Hunter was looking around nervously as Cynder engaged in combat with the Earthen Elemental. As if confirming his fears a loud, high pitched shriek was sounded from somewhere that nobody could pinpoint.

Cynder closed the gap between herself and her target in less than a second after pillar shot up. She struck with her front paws, severing the Elemental in two. As it crumpled to the ground she heard the familiar voice of Hunter "Be on your guard! It's not over!"

As if a queue was given a few scythe armed Ice Elementals accompanied by lesser Ice Elementals burst from the foliage around them. Lagging behind were three more of those strange moving Earth Elementals.

"Spyro," Hunter spoke softly to the dragon next to him "Defend Glacia, I'll handle these Elementals along with Cynder and Darman."

"Alright, any plans on how to survive this?" Spyro asked the cheetah warrior.

"The same way we survived when I first met you; we fight and hope for the best." Said Hunter, notching an arrow in his bow.

"AH!" Spyro spun around, looking for the source of the scream. To his horror he found it to be Cynder. The Elemental she sliced in half reformed itself completely, along with a large club protruding from its side.

"Cynder!" He shouted in concern for the dragoness.

His concerns were for naught as Cynder soon stood up from the blow, her right wing was drooping to her side "I'm fine, don't get distracted!" Cynder shouted back.

After doing a quick head count, Spyro saw that they were outnumbered just over six to one (not counting the two dragons incapable of combat) _'Ancestors help us survive this...'_ Spyro silently prayed for a miracle just before he charged at a small group of lesser Ice Elementals.

x

"I told you this would be fun Flame!" Shouted Sion to his flying companion.

"You were right, I haven't flown this much since...well before I moved to the settlement!" Flame replied to the excited dragon "Shouldn't we start heading back? We've been flying for a few hours now and I want to spend some time with Ember."

"Oh give it a rest Flame!" Sion exasperatingly told his hot headed friend "You won't _die_ if you go one day without her! Just enjoy the flight."

"Can we at least take a break? My wings are starting to ache."

"Fine," Sion conceded "The map says there is a cheetah village not far from here and I think Warfang is on friendly grounds with them."

"Alright, which way is it?" Flame asked the navigating dragon.

"Just follow me and watch out for walls when you land." Sion smirked as he knew the reaction he would get.

"You're dead!" Flame shouted as he gave chase to his target.

"You really think you can catch me?" taunted Sion "You're waaaay to slow for that!"

Not even bothering to verbally unleash his rage, Flame merely focused it into going faster.

The light hearted (at least for Sion) kept going for several minutes until they heard a distinctive voice below them "Cynder!"

Completely forgetting his previous anger, Flame scanned the ground beneath them to see if he heard right "Sion, was that…"

"Spyro? I think it was" Sion answered the unasked question.

"What's he doing in the middle of nowhere? I thought the Guardians sent him, Cynder and Darman on some task?"

"Who knows," Sion said with a shrug "Maybe their task is something around here. Let's find them."

The search didn't last very long; a fiery blast streaked across the sky followed by several screeches from bellow that told them exactly where to go.

"Flame, it seems like they are fighting someone or...something. You go ahead and see how you can help them, I'll land here and strike where I am needed." Sion instructed the combatively superior dragon.

"Alright, and don't think this changes the fact that I'm gonna kick your tail when this is over!"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Sion shouted back as they went their separate ways.

Sion dived down, mindful of the foliage around him. As he landed the only noise he could hear was the fighting ahead of him. No animals could be heard, no wind was blowing, he couldn't even hear the flow of the nearby river.

He silently crept towards where the fight was raging on, prepared to help in any way he can. He kept sneaking silently forward for several minutes, taking extra care not to be discovered. Eventually he stumbled upon a clearing. Within said clearing he could make out three distinctive figures, two of them obviously draconic. The third figure was something he had never seen before.

There was an icy blue dragoness lying on top of a single cushion, seemingly unfazed by the sounds of combat not far off. The next thing he noticed was the strange creature; it had three icicles floating above its head whilst its body was transparent and broken into segments. Finally he noticed an all too familiar figure lying motionless and beaten between the dragoness and the unknown being _'Darman!'_

The strange beast looked like one of the less friendly things he had ever seen with its jagged teeth and the unnatural glow it had for eyes. Sion couldn't describe it, but he just _knew_ the strange creature was what caused Darman to be in his current condition.

Emitting a low growl, Sion leapt from his cover, prepared to attack the creature to defend the two seemingly helpless dragons.

To his astonishment the beast made no move to attack when it noticed Sion. It merely looked at him, then back at the dragoness and back at Sion again before opening its mouth nearly an impossible 180 degrees and let out a high pitched shriek before feeling.

Soon the shriek could be heard echoing from sources hidden by the thick growths of the forest. In addition to the unearthly shrieks, loud grinding noises could be heard before all went silent once more.

Unsure of what just occurred, Sion kept his guard up, ready to strike at any given threat. With no enemies in sight Sion spoke back to the dragoness "Who are you?"

"Glacia," The ice dragoness answered "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"My name is Sion," He answered while continuing to scan the edges of the clearing "And I just happened to stumble upon you, good thing too it seems."

A silence fell upon them, neither knowing what to say next. Eventually the silence was broken by the sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves.

Sion instantly spun to face the source of the noise, expecting another of those _things_ to come out. What came out however, was a dragoness he had apologized to for his actions not long ago "Cynder!"

At the mention of her name the black dragoness seemed to notice Sion for the first time "Sion! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same!"

Before they could continue their impromptu greeting, a new voice called out to them "Can we talk later?" Spyro said somewhat urgently "Those Elementals could be regrouping, I don't want to be around when they are actually prepared to attack us!"

They were soon joined by Hunter who had a lovely looking gash running the length of his left arm and Flame who adorned several new bruises to his scales.

"Good idea." Sion conceded "I'll carry Darman."

Soon they were off once more towards Warfang at an accelerated pace, despite their injuries and fatigue from the recent fight.

xXx

In a area not so far away from the group of young dragons, the three icicled Ice Elemental could simply not believe what had just transpired. He was the acting leader of the group sent to find the Orb of Electricity and report back to his superiors in Dante's Freezer.

During this little trip he had been surprised not once, not twice but _thrice_. He would have to abandon his current objective and report back immediately, this was an incredible discovery.

First something not so out of the ordinary happened. One of the Earth Grunts that had been sent as a scout had encountered a group of traveling dragons. Naturally it called for help before attacking the group. The much faster Ice Lessers, Ice Slashers and Earth Grunts arrived long before him.

Once he arrived he received his first surprise. What appeared to be the great dragon Malefor was engaged in combat with a small group of Ice Elementals. Shortly thereafter he noticed a few other dragons fighting in the vicinity.

As he charged a Flash Freeze attack he received his second shock of the day. He heard a voice within his head, the voice he heard was none other than the one they are seeking to free _::Halt your attack!::_

Shocked for but a second, he replied _::Mistress Flake! Is that truly you?::_

By now the leader of the group had moved to the source of the voice. Sure enough he saw none other than the Corrupted Ice Guardian. He immediately bowed out of respect.

_::Rise, these dragons must not know that I am allied with you.::_

The Elemental rose up _::I shall dispose of these nuisances for you Mistress.::_ he spoke while taking notice of a lightly injured dark blue dragon lying on the ground between him and his Mistress. He was obviously still alive and, true to his word, started charging an attack.

_::No.::_ Flake replied, halting the attack on Darman _::I need them alive.::_

_::Why?:: _The Elemental simply asked. At that moment a light green dragon sprang from the edge of the clearing. Obeying his mistress, he made no move to attack the new arrival.

_::They are taking me to Warfang. I will infiltrate them and learn the whereabouts of both the Orb of Electricity and the Fire Shard.:: _Flake replied to the Elemental. Then came the third shock _::For now retreat, do not kill any of the dragons or the cheetah. Tell your superiors that Malefor is dead. Now go!::_

The Elemental gave one last look at Sion before he yelled out a single, firm order _::RETREAT!::_

Soon his order could be heard echoing from all around as they fled the scene. He knew that his superiors are going to be thrilled to know that not only was their Mistress free, but their greatest enemy has fallen.

xXx

**A/N**

**Who knew the Elementals and the Corrupted Guardians were enemies with Malefor? *Shrugs***

**Now normally Zizima and Melody would beta my chapters, however Melody has been quite busy and Zizima got himself grounded over a trivial argument (idiot). So all thanks go to Unit Omicron for correcting my bountiful mistakes within this chapter!**

**Before I answer the reviews, I have a message for any person liking Spyro fan fictions, reading or anything generally awesome. Unit Omicron has his own Spyro fic up called The Spyro and Cynder Adventures: Eternal Slumber. Believe me when I say that the story is truly something worth checking out, it has a deep story going on while there is something else blooming (Gonna have to read it to find out what that **_**something**_** is :P).**

**From HiImLuffy : "**OK, it oficial:D your going to write my autobiogrophy:D!? pweeeezzzz. haha yetagain one true amazing storie!:D  
and thanks for the mentioning brada:D.  
Hope the B-day was excellent:D**"  
Thanks Luffy! I did enjoy it and thanks again for the compliment and review!**

**From Phoenix of Decay: "**Anyways, I should smack Cyril across his maw for putting down Michael like that. BAD CYRIL! (I always hated his guts for being stuck up like that)

Great, Darman is being chased by BOTH Amber and Cynder now. Reminds me of obsessive fan girls.

I'm assuming Hunter and Meadow never got around to saying that "oh wait... Malefor is dead. Oops *chuckles nervously*." *face palms***"  
Once again your predicting abilities astound me Phoenix! (Try to figure out why before the next chapter :P)**

**From Stealth: "**Nice job with the story. I like how your story is going and where it's going. Now no disrespect but I feel as if Cyril is being a little to mean? Now I can see why but I feel as if she over reacted alittle to much. Now this is most Likely on purpose in which case you really have me on a cliff hanger! As always great job and continue to get better and better. (I can see spyro came by with some healing gems :))**"  
Whaddya know? He had a reason! :)  
P.S. Stopping the anonymous reviews will allow me to get back to you with any immediate questions you may have.**

**From****coincidencless: "**Oh boy, Glacia/Flake is in, introductions are wonderfully realistic, such as Spyro worrying about a group of grublins that does not exist.  
And I love how you got Glacia to think Spyro's Malefor. Oh, that'll be fun to explain...  
Curious about the dragon history. Methinks that the elementals had something to do with it. Maybe they 'imbued' a species of reptiles? Dunno; you'll let us find out :-)  
Also, voted on the poll!**"  
Hehe, fingers/claws crossed I got the reaction you lot hoped for!  
As for the history…who knows? :P**

**From TheBloodybear: "**I'm just kidding I love a good cliffhanger  
I'm really happy that you're getting back to the story.  
The reason I'm really happy about it is that this is the only spyro fanfiction I haven't read on this i have too much free time on my hands I should really get a hobby or a life.

HAHA we all know that the space-koalas built us all out of finely cut potatoes. So life is pretty much just nothing more than a huge potato that just is... existence.  
Okay enough of that good luck with the rest of the story brother bear.**"  
It is good to be back! And thank you for taking the time to review fellow believer of the grand Space-Koalas!**

**From HKGhost : "**I am such an IDIOT! I didn't realize till the end of the chapter that, according to Cyril's history lesson, The guardians that would have trained Malefor would Corrupted Guardians! That would mean that Malefor had a personal hand in there defeat! Oh, Why didn't I think of that!**"  
Well observed there HKGhost! There will be a few changes to that (tip: Look back a few chapters) but you got that one pretty well!**

**From JJays98: I'm sorry man I'm not even gonna try and recopy that thing! Flames burn ya know!  
I'll just say this. Thank you for pointing out another flaw in my writing, like I said this is my first story so I hope that I can reduce mistakes like those in the future :D**

**AH more reviews done. Remember to vote on the poll! Amber is currently in the lead followed closely by Michael and Flake/Glacia! There is time until next chapter to shift the tides in favor of the one you want to see win!**

**Now to draw the chapter to a close. I welcome constructive criticism with open arms and will **_**never**_** ignore or be mad at anybody pointing out where I did something wrong. Flames however will be stomped out by the Earth Grunts and the ashes will be promptly frozen over by the Ice Elementals only to have said frozen ashes will be taken care of by an enraged Amber. Finally the shards will be sucked into nothingness by Darman. Don't even try it…**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**

**Wow another one a full WEEK earlier than I thought it would be! Yay for dota2 server crashes xD**

**Unfortunately the 100 review challenge has failed, so there will be no double update.**

**The poll will also be closing with the release of this chapter. The results can be seen at the end of this chapter (right after the review answering).**

**Before I do the boring disclaimer and stuff, I would like to thank Darman700 for his support, Unit Omicron for being a great beta and finally Darkness Oversoul for support and encouraging words!**

**Now follows the Disclaimer**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own The Legend of Spyro, the plot thereof, any characters or places within, any companies that have anything to do with or anything else my delusional mind may have forgotten.**

"Normal Speaking"  
_'Thinking'  
::Elemental Speaking::  
_**Anything I may want to add at the beginning, end or even in the chapter will be in bold.**

xXx

"Terrador!" Hunter loudly called out as he entered the Dragon Citadel. Hunter and the rest of his group arrived many hours later than expected due to the fight they had.

"Welcome back Hunter," The Earth Guardian responded "Why are you so late? Do you have news on the Dark Forces from Glacia?"

"A few Grublins are the least of our worries," Hunter grimly told the aged dragon while regaining his breath "We were ambushed by several Earth and Ice Elementals."

Immediately Terrador's eyes became as wide as dinner plates "They are already this far inland _and_ bold enough to assault dragons? Were any of your group injured?"

"Yes. Darman has been knocked unconscious, Spyro is completely exhausted, Cynder has several broken ribs along with a deep cut and an injured wing, which would have been much worse if Spyro had not intervened, and Flame has some minor injuries." Hunter informed the green dragon.

"Flame was there?" Terrador asked before another question crossed his mind "How was Spyro able to fight the Elementals? He could barely defeat a few straw dummies a few days ago."

"Flame and Sion both sir, however Sion is uninjured. As for Spyro..." Hunter trailed off "I think it would be best if he told you."

Terrador nodded before speaking again "I understand, where are they now?"

"They are all at the infirmary." Hunter answered.

"Tell Prowlus, Spyro and Cynder to meet me in the meeting room, something has to be done about this." Terrador ordered the cheetah warrior.

"Yes Terrador." Hunter said with a salute as he went to get his chief and the younger dragons.

xXx

Even several hours after the encounter, the returned group of dragons were still unnerved by the new enemies.

"Spyro, have you ever fought something like that before?" Flame asked the purple savior, some fear hidden within his voice "I don't remember you mentioning them in your story when you told it to us."

"I didn't tell you about it because I have never seen anything like them before." Spyro answered "In fact, they were stronger than most of the creatures I have fought."

"It was strange, the way they took some of our breath attacks...it actually seemed like they didn't even feel them!" Flame said as he recalled when he hit an Earth Elemental with a fireball that it didn't look fazed in the slightest.

"Would you two shut up?" Cynder grumbled from her bed "I'm trying to sleep!"

"S-Sorry Cynder, won't happen agai-" Spyro's words were cut short by a small cushion impacting his muzzle at a high speed.

"Be quiet!"

Not wanting to share the fate of his purple friend, Flame wisely clamped his muzzle shut.

A few minutes later Sion walked into the room with a large plate of food. As he set it down he raised a questioning eyescale at the sight of Spyro lying flat on his back with a cushion covering his face and Flame sitting frozen on the spot "Did I miss anything?"

Instead of a wind-powered pillow being thrown, Cynder spoke calmly "Oh good! You brought the food, I'm starving!"

"Females..." Flame said in a near whisper as he shook his head.

He then felt something painfully tugging his right horn to the side "What was that Flame?" asked a furious looking Ember.

"Owowow! N-Nothing Ember! OW!" Flame quickly said as Ember kept tugging on his horn.

"Get a room you two..." Michael said in an attempt to tease the two fire drakes. However he failed miserably as his voice lacked the enthusiasm it was usually littered with.

"What's gotten into you two?" Sion asked as he joined Cynder in the eating fest.

"What's gotten into us?" Ember hissed as she tugged on the horn held firmly in her claws.

"OW!"

"WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO US?!" Ember shouted this time "You could have been injured much more than you are right now! Or worse..."

"But we weren't." Flame weakly protested, fearing another tug from the dragoness.

"That's not the point!" Michael uncharacteristically snapped at his friend "I told you not to go, I told you it was a bad idea, yet you still went Sion and you dragged Flame into it!"

"What would we have done if we lost either of you!" Ember continued scolding them "How would Axen handle it if something happened to you Sion?" Tears were now building up in her eyes. She was truly terrified of losing any of them.

Any argument that Sion may have given was killed off then and there. He never considered how his father would feel and now that he is considering it, it would break what's left of him. After his mother was killed the only comfort they had was each other.

"What about Inferno and Hearth, Flame?" Ember said as the tears started falling from her eyes in streams "What would they have done if they lost either of their sons?! What would I have done..." She said the last part nearly inaudibly as she released his horn.

Complete silence descended upon them for a while after those words were said. Cynder and Sion long since forsaking their meals while Spyro lay silently on the floor.

The uncomfortable atmosphere finally got broken by a new addition to the room "Where's Darman?!" Amber shouted in fury and worry.

As she got no answer she scanned the room and finally found him lying in the far corner of the room. She stormed over to him, Spyro and Cynder expected her to assault the unsuspecting dragon, however the rest of the room's occupants knew better.

When Amber got close enough she enveloped him in a tight hug, surprising Spyro and Cynder quite a bit. The hug lasted for several seconds without any hostility or malicious intent. That soon changed as the lines on his body thickened and Amber dug her claws into his scaly hide.

"You idiot!" She shouted, jolting him awake with a mixture of noise and pain.

"Ouch!" Darman yelped in surprise as he shot up before noticing the dragoness beside him "H-hey Amber...How's it going?"

In response she snarled at him before clubbing him on the head and storming out of the room.

Spyro looked confusedly at a once more unconscious Darman "What was that all about?"

The humorous behavior of Amber completely decimated the tense atmosphere, replacing it with a much lighter one "That's just Amber being Amber." Michael replied, his cheerfulness starting to return.

Flame noticed Ember silently sobbing beside him. He may be dense, but he is not a complete idiot. He moved to embrace her, much like Amber did to Darman; minus the attempted electrocution and hide piercing.

"I'm really sorry Ember, I won't do it again." He whispered to her.

Several minutes passed in a silence not nearly as uncomfortable as the previous one. At one point Flame released Ember in favor of getting a piece of meat for them both to eat.

"Spyro, Cynder." A new voice said from the door.

"Hey Hunter," Spyro greeted "How's the arm?"

"It was just a scratch, nothing serious." Hunter answered with a shrug "I'd really love to keep talking, but I have urgent news for you and Cynder."

At this point Cynder looked up from her oh-so-delectable sheep leg to speak to the cheetah "Does it regard those...Elementals, as you called them?"

Hunter nodded in response "Yes, the Guardians would like to speak to both of you immediately."

Spyro and Cynder looked at each other and gave each other an understanding nod. They both got up from their positions to follow the cheetah warrior "The rest of you should get some rest, I have a feeling the Academy will change starting tomorrow."

With that the cheetah and two dragons departed from the room towards their meeting with the Guardians.

x

After walking for several minutes, Cynder decided to start a conversation to cover the rest of the trip "So Spyro," Cynder began "Are you planning on telling the Guardians about _that_?"

"I...I honestly don't know." Spyro answered with some worry "What would they think? The only ones who know about it besides us now are Hunter and Flame, what if they think I am like Malefor?"

"You will never be like Malefor," Hunter firmly stated "You saved the entirety of the Realms, nobody in their right mind would believe you to be anything like Malefor."

"After they met you." Cynder jokingly added in while nudging the purple dragon.

"Hmhmhm. Yes, after they met you." Hunter confirmed with a light chuckle. His thoughts drifting back to an earlier part of the day "If you are planning on telling them, do not do it at this meeting."

"Why not?" Spyro asked as they entered the Dragon Citadel.

"Prowlus will be present at the meeting and I suspect a representative of the settlement to be present as well."

"I...understand." Spyro said. The Guardians _might_ still understand, but what about the leader of cheetahs who hated dragons not so long ago and a settlement of dragons that have been hiding for the better part of three years from the war? They would demand his head on a spike.

With that jolly image in mind, they arrived at the meeting room. Once they entered they found Hunter's suspicions to be spot on. Inside were the three Guardians along with Morris and Prowlus.

"Finally, now what's this meeting about?" Prowlus asked, not even giving the three new additions to the room time to find a seat.

"If you insist on rushing then I will keep it blunt," Terrador said in an annoyance "The Elementals are already deep inland, Hunter and his group were assaulted by several of those abominations on their trip here."

"May you be suggesting that your retrieval of young Glacia has turned into a struggle of life and death in which your opponents were two hugely different and full of power Elementals from which you emerged victorious?" Volteer asked, earning him three nods "Astounding! Exemplary! Ext-"

"That would be quite the feat," Cyril said, ending the growing train of synonyms "Terrador said that you were able to fight again Spyro, is that true?"

Spyro nodded "Yes it is Cyril, but I am still not back to my full strength yet."

"Have your elements returned sufficiently for a more advanced form of training?" Terrador inquired.

"They didn't feel as strong as they used to be, but they were still strong enough to be useful in the fight." Spyro answered after thinking back to the fight.

Terrador was a bit surprised by the fact that Spyro's elements were strong enough to fight the Elementals with while not at full strength. He hid his surprise well as he moved on to the next matter "Very well, we shall discuss that further a bit later on. For now, would you three please tell us of what happened and how the ambush began?"

"Yes Terrador," Cynder answered the Guardian "It began when we saw a mound of earth, somewhat looking like an obelisk..."

xXx Flashback xXx

After doing a quick head count, Spyro saw that they were outnumbered just over six to one (not counting the two dragons incapable of combat) _'Ancestors help us survive this...'_ Spyro silently prayed for a miracle just before he charged at a small group of lesser Ice Elementals.

The small group of Elementals did not seem like much of a threat to him, the Elementals attacked Spyro using a miniature version of the ice spikes he so commonly sees ice dragons use. They were fast and came in vast quantities.

The spikes hurt for sure, but it was mostly superficial damage. As he neared the group of about four of the lesser Elementals he lashed out with his front paws, catching one of them solidly in the chest.

The lesser Elemental gave a screech before the light in its chest dimmed and floated out of the creature. The moment the light in its chest left it, its screech was silenced and the light in its eyes died as it fell to the ground.

Before Spyro could ponder on what he just saw he was forced to jump to the side to avoid a scythe-armed Elemental that was attempting to decapitate him.

Obviously this new arrival is a much greater threat to him than those lesser Elementals. Doing a quick take of its body, he could see that this one was much more of a close combat type; however he was not ignorant enough to believe this Elemental had no long ranged attacks to fall back on.

For now it seemed that it wanted to fight Spyro up close as it charged straight at him, one blade held in front of it to defend from Spyro whilst his other was held back a bit, ready to slash once Spyro came within range.

The attack itself was painfully obvious to see coming and he could see several openings in the way he was charging him _'This might not be as dangerous as I thought...'_ Spyro thought with confidence.

As the charging Elemental came closer he prepared to strike at the most blatantly obvious opening. He prepared to strike, but was stopped short when a barrage of icicles hit him, reminding him that this was _not_ a one-on-one battle.

The pain caused by the bombardment was more than enough for the purple dragon to lose his focus and found himself on the receiving end of a very sharp piece of ice.

He expected more pain to erupt from wherever the Elemental would hit him, to his surprise it never came "What? Are you completely blind?" Spyro taunted the Elemental, now being sure he won the fight if its aim was that bad. He couldn't be sure, but it looked almost like the creature was...grinning?

Just then Spyro felt something warm flowing down his leg. He spared a glance at said leg, only to see blood flowing down it. His eyes widened at the sight _'How could there be blood? Didn't it miss me?'_ Spyro got his answer as he looked further along the leg, still alert for another attack. Just above where his right foreleg met his body, there was a cut and a nasty one by the look of it.

Right then his thoughts drifted back to his time in the settlement, particularly when Michael healed him and Cynder. His ability not only healed them, but numbed the area it made contact with _'That...That's dangerous, he could slice me to ribbons and I wouldn't know about it until I see it!'_

His theory on an easy victory was thrown out of the window with that ability in mind. He would have to either dodge the lesser Ice Elementals while attacking the scythe-armed one or attack the lesser Elementals while steering clear of the scythe-armed Elemental.

'_Or...'_ He thought to himself, considering the third option. It would be a bit of a gamble, but he could try and use a breath attack on them. He would run the risk of his powers not being fully returned and leaving himself open to an attack. Should at least some of his powers have returned then this could be made much easier.

'_It's worth a shot; the other two are just as risky.'_ He decided as he searched himself for the inner fire he always felt. Like always he found it, but unlike the other times he knew he could not simply aim and fire, he would need to charge his attack as he only has once shot at this and he couldn't be certain that his normal breath attack would be enough at the moment.

He started staring down the still grinning Elemental whilst building up his fiery energy. He gave no indication that he was building up an attack, he was praying to the Ancestors that the Elemental would not notice until it was too late.

His prayers were answered as he felt he had built up his power to that just short of a fury. Returning the grin given to him Spyro opened his maw, revealing a slight yellow-orange glow from within. Now it was the Elementals who had to pray to whatever deity they worshiped. Spyro unleashed all his energy at once. The resulting torrent of fire did _not_ disappoint.

It easily engulfed the four Elementals who cried out while their 'lives' ended. Spyro was given no time to celebrate as he heard more sounds of fighting coming from nearby.

He charged in its direction, completely forgetting that he was supposed to guard Darman and Glacia. As he neared the fighting he saw Hunter on a low tree branch firing arrows at the Ice Elementals who happily returned the favor with the many icicles. Hunter had to rapidly dodge as he did not possess the thick scales Spyro had to protect himself from the projectiles.

Not far from the same tree as Hunter, Spyro saw Cynder fighting with an Earth Elemental and several Ice Elementals. She was doing her best to avoid most of the icicles launched her way yet some still managed to find their target. Her main focus was on the obelisk like Elemental swinging what looked to be a club made of dirt.

She seemed to be doing well, so he decided to help the only non-dragon in the fray. The lesser Ice Elementals were too busy firing barrage after barrage of ice at Hunter to notice Spyro creeping up behind them. With great ease he raked his claws into an Elemental preparing to fire at Hunter.

As another turned to investigate the source of the screech that followed, Spyro pounced on it and bit into its neck, causing the head to snap clean off. Having learned from the mistake Cynder made and observations from his previous kills, Spyro kept the headless Elemental pinned beneath him.

He noticed that the glow in its chest did not die down like the previous ones did. Out of caution and as a way to put his suspicions to rest about how these things died, Spyro brought his tail up and stabbed down, directly into the glowing mass.

Sure enough, the glow dimmed and floated out of the icy corpse. The only difference was that no ear-piercing screech followed the death of the Elemental.

By now he had the attention of a few lesser Ice Elementals along with four scythe-armed Elementals "Crap." He swore softly as he examined his new opponents. He would have to plow through** (more puns)** roughly twenty lesser Ice Elementals and four scythe-armed Elementals with only the help of Hunter _'Just like old times...'_ He thought back to when Hunter freed them from the Golden Time Crystal and the escape that followed.

Spyro prepared another blast of fire, this one would be smaller as he doubted he would get the same amount of time to build op another torrential fire blast. The four scythe-armed Elementals charged straight at him in nearly the exact same manner the previous one had.

He knew what was coming next so he unleashed his pent up fire breath and caught only the first scythe-armed Elemental before he was pelted painfully by more icicles.

As the remaining three neared him while he was being bombarded he felt a wave of heat to his side quickly closing in.

He turned to face the source of the heat to find a pillar of fire burning down from a blood red scaled dragon who he soon realized to be Flame. He felt incredible relief at that point; they might have a fighting chance now.

Spyro was not the only one who was caught up by the appearance of the fire dragon's entry into the fight. Cynder saw the appearance of the fire as another potential enemy, one greater than what she was already fighting.

That cost her dearly as she was slashed by a scythe-armed Elemental, completely oblivious to it. As she confirmed the fire to be from a friendly source she turned back to her own fight. She saw the Earth Elemental preparing another attack accompanied by a fresh barrage of icicles.

She was planning on jumping out of the way using a wind enhanced jump like she usually did. There was a slight complication this time as she tried to put pressure on her hind legs she felt one of them protesting painfully. She did an improvised jump, relying solely on her wind powers to help her escape.

She narrowly avoided the earth pillar that shot up from where she had just been. There was a slight drawback; she was thrown roughly to the ground as she could not use her wings to take advantage of the updraft she caused.

Once she skidded to a halt she used her shadow powers to melt into her own shadow before yet another pillar shot up from the side. Using her cover in the shadow to remain hidden for several more seconds she tried to think of a plan. Yet no matter how she looked at it she was in quite a bit of trouble.

The reason she started enhancing her jumps with wind was because one of her front paws were already rendered useless from taking a nasty hit from an Earth Elemental's pillar attack. Avoiding attacks with three legs was hard, but manageable. Avoiding attacks with two legs...not possible.

Her energy was rapidly draining, forcing her to emerge from the shadow world. Seconds after she emerged a large club made contact with her chest, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying backwards.

"Cynder!" She heard someone shout. She could not make out who it was as she was just barely holding onto her consciousness. As the seconds dragged on painfully, Cynder became vaguely aware of the sounds of something approaching her through the whistling sound she was hearing and her swimming vision.

Spyro stood above Cynder; concern, anger and hate burning in his eyes. Without any hesitation he applied what remained of the Red Spirit Gems to her worst looking wounds; her leg wounds.

The moment he was done applying the medical aid, he turned to look for the ones who dared harm Cynder. It didn't take him very long to see another scythe-armed Elemental with blood dripping from one of his appendages standing next to an Earth Elemental.

His nostrils flared in anger as he released electrons into the air in preparation for as strong an electrical attack he could muster.

Just before he was able to unleash the attack a very high pitched, _'And louder than that when an Elemental dies'_ Spyro noted, could be heard. After the loud sound finally died down the scythe-armed Elemental returned the screech along with the rest of the Ice Elementals in the area, albeit at a much lower volume. The Earth Elementals merely made a grinding noise before the Ice Elementals ran off and the Earth Elementals slacked into the ground.

xXx End Flashback xXx

"They just...ran?" Terrador skeptically asked the three.

"Yes." Spyro confirmed "We do not know why. One moment we were fighting and then they just turned to flee."

"A most troubling occurrence. Perhaps they achieved the objective of their expedition?" Volteer offered.

"If they have we do not know about it. Our main concern was getting the injured to Warfang for treatment." Hunter informed his superiors.

"There is one thing that I would like to know." Cynder started.

"What concerns you?" Terrador asked.

"It's about those Elementals, do they only attack dragons and creatures not aligned to their element? Specifically the Ice Elementals."

"Explain?" Cyril asked, not completely understanding the question.

"When I came back to the clearing where they first attacked, I saw Darman unconscious in front of Glacia while she was completely unarmed." Cynder explained further.

"I do not remember my mentor ever mentioning anything of the sort, however we do not know much about the Elementals, it could be possible but highly unlikely." Cyril answered before asking his own question "Have you asked Glacia about this?"

Cynder shook her head "No, during the trek back to Warfang we were on a constant lookout for more of the Elementals. It never crossed my mind to ask her at the time, I only considered it when we were in the infirmary."

"We shall talk to them about it at another time. Dismissed" Terrador said in a voice filled with authority. Slowly all the occupants left the room save for Terrador, Cynder and Spyro "Young ones, it is late. There are still classes tomorrow."

"We know Terrador." Cynder spoke "But Spyro has something to tell you."

Terrador looked at said purple dragon, waiting for him to speak "That fight isn't..._exactly_ what happened."

"How so young ones? Did you forget to inform us of something?"

"We didn't forget," Spyro admitted "We just didn't want to talk about it in front of Prowlus and Morris."

"They are gone now, please tell me what happened."

Spyro briefly looked at Cynder before they retold, only truthfully this time around

xXx Flashback xXx

Her energy was rapidly draining, forcing her to emerge from the shadow world. Seconds after she emerged a large club made contact with her chest, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying backwards.

"Cynder!" She heard someone shout. She could not make out who it was as she was just barely holding onto her consciousness. As the seconds dragged on painfully, Cynder became vaguely aware of the sounds of something approaching her through the whistling sound she was hearing and her swimming vision.

Spyro stood above Cynder; concern, anger and hate burning in his eyes. Without any hesitation he applied what remained of the Red Spirit Gems to her worst looking wounds; her leg wounds.

Before he was even done applying the medical treatment wisps of shadow started licking at his scales. Gradually his expression crumpled into one of the purest of rages. His eyes began reverting to an eerie white glow. No emotion could be seen in them, only an unfamiliar lust for blood.

'_Oh no!'_ Cynder screamed into her mind as she recognized the form he was taking on. It was the same form that nearly killed both her and Sparx in the Well of Souls. The same form that nearly caused him to run back into the Ring of Fire while dragging her with him "Spyro, you need to calm down..." Cynder said in a desperate attempt to calm him.

"Get away from Cynder!" Flame shouted as he charged at the strange looking dragon while enveloped in fire.

"Flame don't!" Cynder stopped him from a very fatal mistake "It's Spyro, don't do anything to make him any angrier than he already is."

"_That_ is Spyro?" He asked in disbelief as he stopped his Comet Dash "What's wrong with him? He looks...different..."

By now Spyro had turned away from Cynder. He was hovering slightly above the ground, facing the Elementals and growling lowly as he gathered his strength for a Convexity Blast.

"The Convexity, it's corrupting him," Cynder explained to the fire dragon "We need to calm him down or he'll kill us all."

"How do we do that?" Flame asked, fear present in his voice. He could practically _feel_ the power radiating from the now shadow covered dragon.

Then Spyro did something increasing Flame's fear of him tenfold; he unleashed a massive beam of Convexity. The beam consumed five Elementals with ease and then continued on until it eventually dissipated into nothing.

'_I...I don't believe it...'_ Flame thought while shaking with terror _'This...we nearly fought this that day we attacked them...'_

Suddenly a high pitched screech sounded from somewhere unknown. The sound was then returned by several similar screeches and a few grinding noises from the Elementals around them before they turned and ran away.

Spyro was now laughing a low, evil laugh before landing and turning to a still out of it Flame "With them gone I guess I'll have to use you to entertain myself..."

"Spyro don't!" Cynder shouted from the side "He's your friend, you know you'd never hurt those close to you!"

The Dark Spyro laughed again, mockingly this time "Of course I would! Who are you to say I-"

"I wasn't talking to you!" Cynder snapped at the evil dragon "Spyro, please come back, it hurts me...it hurts everyone to see you like this..."

The staggered back slightly "No! You will stay in there!" He shouted seemingly to no one "I will _not_ have you ruining my fun!"

Slowly, but surely, the kind amethyst eyes and lavender scales returned as she shadows receded back into him. When the last of the poisoning darkness vanished into his scales he collapsed to the ground.

Cynder let out a sigh of relief as she knew he regained control.

"Is...is he?" Flame meekly asked.

"Yes." Cynder answered "He did it, he got control again." She attempted to move her injured legs around, testing to see if they were useable once again. To her relief they both worked but still hurt.

She felt very tired, and she was sure Spyro was as well. She reached for the pouch around her neck only to find empty air. She quickly scanned the area around her, hoping to find the Green Spirit Gems. To her relief they were not too far away from her "Flame," Cynder said, catching the fire dragon's attention "Can you please get me my pouch? I'm a bit exhausted."

"S-sure." He hesitantly responded "Do you know where it is?"

Cynder pointed a claw near to where Spyro was "It's right over there."

He followed the claw with his eyes, when he saw it he didn't even take a step towards it.

"Flame, are you ok?" Cynder asked in concern. She followed his gaze, fearing to see another Elemental. However she found him looking between Spyro and the pouch, she instantly knew what the problem was "He's back to his normal self, he won't do that again."

He still gave no answer, instead choosing to remain where he was "I'm sorry Cynder, but I...I don't think I'll be able to see him in the same light after that." He looked at the ground as he spoke those words.

"Don't talk like that." A new male voice said "This is also my first time seeing Spyro like that, but he only became like that when he saw Cynder in danger." Hunter lectured the fire dragon as he picked up the pouch and taking it towards Cynder "He was also strong enough to regain control for your sake Flame, think about that before you judge him."

xXx End Flashback xXx

As they finished the tale, Terrador had a concerned expression "Was this the first time you became this...dark dragon?"

"No," Spyro admitted "I changed two times prior to this one. Once in the Well of Souls to defeat Gaul and again after Ignitus sacrificed himself in the Ring of Fire."

"Do you have any control over your actions what so ever when you are in that state?"

"No. In fact I don't even remember much from when I change into that thing," Spyro confessed "Everything is like a haze. I didn't know about this latest transformation until Cynder told me about it."

"When do these transitions take place?"

Spyro looked to Cynder, hoping she could explain since he can remember nothing from when he changes "It usually happens when he is greatly stressed or is experiencing a strong emotion, though I can't be sure."

"I wish I could offer you advice or guidance young dragon, however I have never encountered anything like this before. I am sorry." Terrador apologetically said "I shall discuss this with Volteer and Cyril, perhaps they know of something."

"Thank you Terrador, I would appreciate it." Spyro thanked the Earth Guardian.

"It is my pleasure, young one. Now you both must go rest, the Academy will begin bright and early tomorrow morning." Terrador instructed the two dragons.

"We will, good night, Terrador." Cynder said as she left the room.

"See you tomorrow, Terrador." Spyro bid him farewell as he turned to follow Cynder.

"Spyro wait, there is one other thing."

Spyro stopped in his tracks "Yes?"

"Starting tomorrow you will be moved to the Advanced class, you will need to be taught how to fight properly. These Elementals are a force to be reckoned with."

Spyro nodded "Alright, Terrador, good night."

Terrador smiled to the younger dragon "Good night, Spyro."

xXx

After Spyro and Cynder had been called away the rest of the uninjured dragons took that as a queue to leave the injured dragons to rest. All save for one minorly injured fire dragon.

Ever since their return, Flame had been immensely worried about Darman and Amber's greeting had not help alleviate his worries. He before they left the infirmary, Flame had asked Michael to return when it had calmed down a bit.

That time was now. Flame was patiently waiting for the hybrid to arrive at the infirmary. As he waited his thoughts involuntary drifted back to the end of the encounter, to when Spyro had changed into what he thought looked more like a demon than a dragon.

The sheer amount of murderous intent he felt was enough to keep him rooted in place for several minutes after Spyro had changed back. He was sure he would see that _thing_ every time he looked at Spyro after that.

He likely would have too had Cynder not explained it to him. She told him about the Well of Souls and the Ring of Fire. How he only changed into that thing three times in the past three years.

"Hey Flame." Michael said in greeting, effectively derailing Flame's train of thought "What'd you want me to come back here for?"

"Hi Michael. I want you to heal Darman and Glacia as best you can." Flame requested, getting straight to the point.

Michael shook his head for a no "You know it doesn't work on him, it's a purely energy based ability. You know that Flame."

"Please." Flame said softly "Just try, I want to know I did everything possible to help him."

"Of course I'll do it Flame, but don't get your hopes up." Michael warned as he went towards Darman's bed.

Since it was a concussion, Michael moved his paws over his head where a good sized bruise was sitting. He willed the energy from within his body to gently flow into his paws.

Once he gathered enough energy a tiny droplet of water appeared between his paws. It steadily rose in size until it was about 5 centimeters in diameter. He stopped adding power to the ball of healing water and merely maintained the current amount.

Eventually it stabilized and he softly pressed it against the top of Darman's head. True to his prediction, the lines on Darman's body became slightly thicker before his scales completely absorbed the small sphere.

"I'm sorry Flame," Michael apologized "But we both knew it wouldn't work."

"It's ok, thanks for trying anyway." Flame then looked towards Glacia "How about treating some of her smaller wounds while you are here? Might as well make her feel comfortable."

"Sure, why not?" Michael shrugged as he walked over to the sleeping dragoness.

He stood over her, looking for the largest wound he could treat within his current ability. He finally found a few to treat. He put his paws over the first one, an uncomfortable looking cut at the base of her left wing, and repeated the process.

Once more he stood there with a decently sized ball of healing water between his paws. Then the unexpected happened when he tried to press the sphere onto her wound. The moment he made contact with her scales the ball of water began wavering, making it look like waves were forming on its surface.

It lasted for but a second before the flow of energy to the healing water ruptured, causing it to fall onto her scales as nothing but slightly chilled water.

Michael blinked in surprise "What just happened?" He then shook his now partially numb arms around.

"How should I know?" Flame questioned "Didn't it just fail?"

"No, it didn't." Michael denied "Something happened when I touched her scales."

"Maybe she has an ability similar to Darman's?" Flame suggested.

"That seems unlikely," Michael admitted "When I touched Darman he simply absorbed it, when I touched her it felt like she was fighting it back."

"Well no use in wondering about something we have no knowledge about, we'll just ask her about it tomorrow. Thanks for coming Michael, I'll see you tomorrow." Flame thanked and greeted his friend.

"I'm not leaving you here." Michael stood his ground "I understand you are worried about Darman, but do you think he would be happy that you fell behind in class because of him?"

"No, but-"

"But nothing." Michael silenced him "You're going home. Now."

Flame wanted to retort to that, but he stopped to think about it. Sure he wanted to be there when Darman woke up, but would he be happy to see him when he should be in class?

"Fine." Flame grumbled.

"Good, I'll see you tomorrow." Michael smugly said "G'nite, Flame."

"Good night, Michael."

xXx

Spyro woke abruptly during the night. As he quickly got used to the low vision of the night he saw that he was not in his room, he wasn't even within Warfang. He was standing at the foot of a mountain large mountain he was sure he saw before, yet he could not place it.

"Hello?" He called out into the vast blackness "I know someone is watching, I did not come here on my own!"

He got a response, but not quite the one he was looking for. He heard a screech, the same type he heard earlier that day _'Elementals!'_

He took to the skies as silently as his figure would allow it. He slowly gained altitude, hoping to get out of striking range from any Elementals that surely heard him shouting moments ago. As he got higher he started flying around the mountain while scanning the ground for any signs of the Elemental he heard.

Eventually he caught sight of a glow within the unnatural darkness. He turned to face the source and his heart nearly stopped. On the ground, about 100 meters from him, were hundreds upon hundreds of Ice Elementals.

Looking frantically around for cover, he found a ledge on the mountain where he could stand and silence the sounds of his wing beats.

Once he landed he got a closer look at the gathered Ice Elementals. He remembered only one of them from his fight earlier that day, the scythe-armed ones. The weaker lesser Ice Elementals were nowhere to be seen.

Along with the scythe-armed Ice Elementals stood many larger Elementals. They looked a lot like the lesser Ice Elementals except they were at least twice their size.

The next type of enemy he noticed was what appeared to be yet another larger version of the lesser Ice Elementals. These seemed to be three times their size and they also had another glow coming from above their heads. There were far less of these than the rest of them, Spyro could only find about ten of them.

Next he saw a mammoth Ice Elemental. At least he thought they were; he could only make out a large chunk of ice hidden behind a boulder.

He then noticed they were all looking in one direction. He looked up from the small army to see a truly shocking sight.

A dragon, no bigger than himself, was on the edge of a cliff. He couldn't make out any details of the dragon except its colors. The dragon was not simply colored a single color like most dragons; this one had darkness moving along its body. The darkness on the dragon looked _alive_, a few shifting patches of light blue could be seen.

As he continued trying to make out any details the very dragon he was watching spoke in what sounded to be two voices "_We will destroy them! They will not survive!_" The dragon then lifted a paw and slammed it into the earth. The ground from the point of contact started freezing, covering everything it touched in a seemingly thick layer of ice.

"_But we are not alone._" The enigmatic dragon continued "_We have the purple dragon to help us!_"

A figure of a second dragon then walked out of the shadows behind the dragon. Spyro was speechless by what he saw. On the ledge, next to the dragon that was apparently giving a pep rally to the Ice Elementals...was him.

xXx

**A/N**

**And that's the end of chapter 11! I hope you all enjoyed reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it :D**

**A special thanks to Unit Omicron for beta reading this chapter while Zizima is getting what he deserves (not my fault!). Unit Omicron also has a story going that I highly recommend; ****The Spyro and Cynder Adventures: Eternal Slumber.**** He allowed me to read a part of his latest chapter before its release. The development in it can be summed up like this: ':o'.**

**I would also like to give a shout out to a story written recently by Darkness Oversoul. She posted a new story called ****Uncharted****. The attention to detail she put into it is breathtaking, you really feel close to the characters. Go give it a look if you don't believe me!**

**Now from now on I'm going to make a change to the review answering. Instead of copying and pasting the **_**entire**_** review, I am just going to post the answers here. There are some cases where I will copy the entire thing over (like with this first one).**

**From Stealth: **"Ah how far your story has come...It's getting better and better. I hope you planned on expanding the abilities that Cyril is so worried about (ps more like he's worried that he's the lesser dragon). As always your story is great and I hope your life gets even better.  
Ps: I know someone already said this but I love ur endings. Like how you make such wonderful and creative ways u say how people shouldn't "flame" it really adds to the whole. I hope this wasn't anonymous!"  
**Unfortunately Stealth, your review is still anonymous. Try checking your settings for the solution.  
I do have something planned for him, but I can't say much without giving it away :P**

**Zizima: Once again, go to hell, wasn't my fault!  
****Your**** mistake aside, I am glad you found the encounter to your liking.**

**Morning Frost on Leaf: Thank you very much for the compliment! They really keep me going :D**

**wolfartist117: I tried my best with that part between them, was a bit afraid it might come out bad.**

**XxTheSomeonexX: Haha yeah, Moneybags is the prime example of a fat cat (bear?). Just be a single gem short and he won't let you go on, I despise that guy.**

**Coincidencless: I plan on keeping them that way for a while, can't have them fighting a fully retarded army now can I? :P  
I just had to put that part in, sometimes Spyro is too dense for his own good xD**

**MurasakiKuroAkai: Love your choice of words here xD  
Well Michael got my vote, I love writing him!**

**Now that that's done, I'll move on to the poll results!  
1****st**** Place: Amber.  
2****nd**** Place: Michael (yay!).  
3****rd**** Place: Flake/Glacia.**

**Now, my dear reader(s). I would kindly request of you to leave a review. Constructive criticism is very much welcomed here. Normally, I would say "GTFO Flames!" but today, I will not. You see, the heater within my room as oh so graciously decided to break down. In. The middle. Of. WINTER! As anyone would probably know, it gets unceremoniously cold (believe it or not) in the night during winter, regardless of where you are from. So for this chapter, and ONLY this chapter, I will tolerate those warm and cozy flames. But then again, positive reviews make me feel warm inside, so let's stick to those as to avoid burns ^^**


	12. Chapter 12

A/N

Well unfortunately this chapter actually took 2 weeks long, I'm really sorry :(

One other thing I should apologize for. Wolfartist117 pointed out that I have been neglecting my SpyroxCynder moments, I promise to add in more of them in the coming chapters!

Ok, now for the most annoying part of any story the Disclaimer!

DISCLAIMER: I claim no ownership to Spyro, The Legend of Spyro, any companies associated with them, the plot therein, the locations, the abilities, the characters or even random blade of grass #248!

"Normal talking."  
_'Thinking...'_  
_::Elemental speech.::__  
_Any notes within the chapter will be in bold.

Enjoy the chapter!

xXx

Spyro bolted upright as he awoke, landing in a fighting stance. He frantically looked around for any signs of the army he had seen what seemed like seconds prior to his awakening. His heartbeat began slowing down and his muscles relaxed when he could find no evidence of the army of Elementals within his room.

'_That was one realistic dream...'_ Spyro thought to himself _'It was almost like when the Chronicler came to me...'_ As he thought about that possibility, a new concern entered his mind _'Why was the other me standing on that hill?'_

After pondering on that question for several minutes, Spyro grunted as he failed to come up with an answer. Deciding that trying to sleep would be futile; he walked out of his room into the streets. Why was he standing up there? Why were the Elementals gathered like that? Better yet, who was that other dragon?

He shook these thoughts out of his mind for the time being, instead choosing to focus on his more immediate problems. Namely his hospitalized friend and the Academy lessons he was no doubt behind in. The former seemed like the right one to address for the time being.

With his mind made up, Spyro trotted down the cold cobblestone road towards the infirmary, forsaking flight to kill more time.

Spyro walked on for several minutes. Unsurprisingly he saw very few sentient beings awake at this forsaken hour.

When the purple dragon finally reached the infirmary a stray yawn escaped his maw _'I'll catch up on sleep during one of Cyril's lectures...'_

When Spyro entered the infirmary he was greeted by the night shift receptionist "Good morning," the mole greeted, unfazed by the time of day "How may I help you?"

"I'm wondering if it's possible to visit a friend of mine, I just want to see how he's doing." Spyro explained to the female mole.

"That depends on how severe his condition is," said the mole "What's your friend's name?"

"Darman." Spyro answered.

The mole went through some papers before she stopped on one "Ah yes, you came at a good time for a visit."

Spyro blinked in confusion "Why's that?"

"His wash ended about half an hour ago," she answered "He also has another visitor with him. Do you know where his room is or do you need directions?"

Spyro shook his head "Thanks, I'll be able to find it."

"Don't be too long, breakfast is in an hour!" the mole said to Spyro as he started walking down the hallway.

'_A wash at this time?' _Spyro shook his head at the thought _'They must be insane.'_

It didn't take Spyro very long to navigate the building and find Darman's room. As he arrived he was able to make out two faint voices from within the room. It wasn't hard to deduce who the second visitor was "Sit down! You can't move around so much!" As those words were said a brief flash of yellow flooded from the room "Now look at what you made me do!"

Sure enough, as Spyro entered said room, he saw Amber pinning a terrified Darman beneath her "Alright alright! I give up!" Darman desperately said from beneath the dragoness.

"Good." Amber said as she got off of him "No moving while you are hurt. I can't cause you pain when you're in it you know."

"Y-Yeah..." Darman said as he finally noticed the purple dragon by the door "Mornin' Spyro."

"Good morning, Darman." Spyro returned then looked at the yellow dragoness "Hey, Amber."

"Hi Spyro, what are you doing here?" Amber asked as she titled her head.

"Same as you, I guess." Spyro shrugged.

"Trying to kill me?" Darman asked fearfully from his position on the ground, earning him a glare from the dragoness.

"Hey, at least I care enough to make sure you're not dead." Amber said defensively.

"If you say so..." Darman said then wisely went silent.

"Are you feeling any better?" Spyro asked the void dragon.

"A bit yeah, thanks for asking." Darman told him before giving his own question "Not that I don't appreciate it, but what are you doing here?"

"I...I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come here." Spyro admitted.

Amber snorted "Well as you can see he is fine, for now that is. What are you going to do for the next three hours before the Academy starts?"

Spyro thought about the question for a moment and answered truthfully "I have no idea. Maybe walk around until the cafeteria opens up and get Cynder?"

"For two hours?" Both Darman and Amber asked simultaneously. The latter then growled softly and lightly hit Darman with her tail "Don't copy me!"

"Yes ma'am." Darman answered as he rubbed the spot where she hit.

"Anyway..." Amber started "I was on my way to do some morning training, why not join me?"

"I don't want to be a bother." Spyro said while thinking something else _'Being awake is hard enough, I'd rather not do who-knows-what with a potential murderer...'_

"Nonsene!" Amber responded, oblivious to Spyro's private musings "I could always use a good sparring partner!"

"Wait, sparring-ack!" Spyro was cut short by Amber forcibly pushing him out of the room.

"Bye, Darman! Get well soon so I can kill you!" She cheerfully called back to a blue dragon that paled when he failed to find any trace of humor in her voice.

xXx

The morning went by much calmer for Cynder. The key word being _calmer_. She may not have been jolted awake by a potential prophecy of doom, but a voice nearly as bad roused her.

"Wake up ya' draconic nuisance!" a glowing light yelled into her ear at point blank range.

"AH!" Cynder yelled as her dreams were roughly ended by her secret love's foster brother.

After she calmed down she noticed a broadly grinning Sparx hovering over her "Top o' tha mornin' to ya, ya black hydra!" Sparx greeted in a strange accent. Cynder immediately labeled it as 'Sparx being Sparx' as she glared at the dragonfly, his new way of speaking was even more annoying than before "Don' ye gimme tha' look."

"What in the realm of Convexity is wrong with your voice?" Cynder asked flatly.

"Eh?" Sparx asked, feigning confusion "Ye don' approve o' it?"

Cynder shrugged as she stretched her stiff limbs "Doesn't bother me either way." As she finished stretching she noticed the lack of the companion Sparx was usually with "Where's Spyro?"

"Th' lad be indulgin' in eh-"

"Drop the accent." Cynder firmly said, a vein of pure frustration appearing on her head.

"Fein'." Sparx said before reverting back to his normal voice "Spyro went out for a walk a few hours ago. It's nearly time for the Academy and he isn't back yet, so I figured he would be here trying to force you to remove that demonic binding spell you put on him or something."

"No he isn't here." Cynder said, ignoring the snide remark "But you're welcome to join me for breakfast, I think they're serving that bug-based stew in the cafeteria."

Sparx dramatically drew back and brought his tail up defensively "I knew it! CANNIBAL!"

Cynder rolled her eyes as she spoke "I am _not_ a cannibal! And it's not cannibalism if we aren't the same _species_!"

"Ah-hah!" Sparx said as he pointed an accusing finger at her "So you admit to wanting to eat me!"

Cynder sighed "This is ridiculous..."

"Is it? Is it _really?_" Sparx asked sagely.

"I'm going to get some bug spray," Cynder spoke in monotone as she walked towards her balcony and spread her wings, wincing slightly at the small injury on her wing "Bye."

With a mighty leap she was in the air, catching the early morning breeze under her wings as the dark dragoness lazily ascended.

'_Now where could he be...'_ Cynder thought and went through all the places Spyro might be. She was already heading to where Spyro could usually be found. Where there was food.

It only took her a few minutes worth of flying to reach her destination. She searched the area around her and, to her surprise, found no purple dragon. She also noted that there was a distinct lack of electrical arcs and no screams of pain, meaning Amber wasn't there either.

She did see Ember and Sion at a table chatting about who-knows-what. When Sion noticed her he stood up and cupped a paw over his maw "CYN-"

His shout was cut short by the dragoness next to him when she rammed his side with her horns, sending him to the ground. Cynder winced as she saw the double impact _'Poor guy...'_

Ember then casually waved at her, which Cynder returned with a smile. As Sion received a verbal bashing to go with his physical one, Cynder got her breakfast. This time it consisted of no more than a few berries and some lettuce.

She trotted over to the table where Sion was now sitting upright and holding his sore side "Good morning, Cynder." They chorused much more subtly, the pink dragoness then gave the earth dragon an approving nod.

"Good morning to you too." Cynder answered. She set down her plate and began digging in to her meatless meal.

"Uhhhh..." Sion intelligently began while eyeing her breakfast.

Cynder look up to see Sion staring at her plate "What? It's healthier and tastier than that green gunk you got from the cave walls."

"Don't mind him." Ember said "But he has a point."

Cynder tilted her head at that "Huh?" How could anything he said be seen as a point of argument?

"What he meant to say is what are you doing here?" Ember explained.

"Eating? What else would I be doing here?" Cynder asked, clearly confused by where Ember was going with this.

"No no, what I meant is; why are you here and not with the Guardians?" Ember asked.

"Is there a reason I should be there?" Cynder asked, still not completely understanding.

"Screw it." Sion grunted before launching an all-out explanation "You, Spyro, Michael and Darman are supposed to be at the training grounds _with_ the Guardians at 6 a.m. to have your elements tested because you possess more than one or possess an element that they have little or no knowledge of. Therefore it would be illogical to allow you to display said elements in front of a crowd of on looking dragons where potential harm could be brought to them, the case of which being you and Darman. Doing this allows them to determine at what level to begin your training at. However I believe they are merely curious as to what Darman is capable of doing otherwise they wouldn't have sent him those Spirit Gems and ordered an escort to carry him there since he is still incapable of doing so on his own."

When he finished both dragonesses' jaws were slack and eyes wide "What? It's not like I'm a complete idiot." At the expressions the dragonesses were now giving him he face-faulted "Really?"

"...So I should be with the Guardians right now?" Cynder asked after finally finding her voice.

"Y...Yes," Ember spoke, also regaining her vocal abilities "You should uh...get going?"

Cynder got up and left, leaving only her unfinished plate of berries in the very awkward atmosphere.

xXx

"Is that all you've got Spyro?" Taunted a barb tail-tipped dragoness as she sidestepped a sluggish pounce. Amber then lightly struck her assailant's side with retracted claws. "I swear earth dragons are faster than you!"

"HEY!" A random earth dragon yelled from the stands "That's racist!"

"Sorry!" Amber yelled back before she returned her attention to the purple dragon.

That small distraction was all Spyro needed to bring her down and pin her firmly beneath him. Without missing a beat he softly took Amber's throat between his jaws, causing the small gathering of dragons and moles to cheer loudly at his victory.

"Fine, you win..." Amber conceded.

Spyro removed his jaws and grinned widely at the yellow dragoness "Keep your eye on your opponent."

"Yeah whatever." Amber said before deciding to destroy his good mood "So what's the score at?"

"It's at..." Spyro then lost his triumphant expression "12-1..." _'Clever girl.'_

"That's right!" Amber proclaimed over the cheering crowd who rapidly caused her anger to flare "Shut up!" She shouted loudly before unleashing a streak of electricity that could have been mistaken for a bolt of lightning into the skies.

The crowd promptly went silent. Amber nodded her head approvingly "Good." She turned her attention back to Spyro "Shouldn't you be with the Guardians by now?"

"Not that I know of, why?" Spyro asked.

"Hmhm, I wondered why you were wasting so much time fighting." Amber said with a small giggle "You, Cynder, Darman and Michael are supposed to be there at 6 a.m. I have no idea why though, you'll find out when you get there."

"Alright, see you later Amber, thanks for the practice!" Spyro said before taking to the skies.

Amber was about to head to the cafeteria when Spyro flew in front of her "Where exactly am I supposed to go?" He sheepishly asked.

"Training grounds." Amber answered as she pointed in its general direction.

"Right." He turned in the direction while still hovering in the air "Thanks!" Then sped off with a destination in mind.

"Even legendary males are idiots..." Amber muttered as she watched Spyro fly off.

xXx

"This certainly is protruding within our schedule for the day." Said a blitzing voice.

The Guardians and a small gathering of dragons were sitting at the edge of the training grounds, awaiting the two missing dragons.

"For once we agree Volteer," Cyril spoke "Where are the young heroes?"

"Sparx, you did remember to tell them did you not?" Terrador asked as he turned an accusing eye on the glowing dragonfly who was sitting on top of Michael's head.

"Well my top priority was Spyro, so I didn't bother to tell the evil snake until _after_ I told him." Sparx stated matter-of-factly "And I could not find the big lug, so I never told her."

"Seems logical enough," Michael sarcastically said "Not like she has the potential to kill you. Who knows? Maybe she'll see this as a funny joke as well!"

Oblivious to the new arrival into the arena, they went on "Pch! She can try!" Sparx said as he struck a tough-guy pose "I defeated her once so doing it a second time will be even easier!"

The obsidian scaled arrival was now standing behind the two blissfully unaware males "Haha, I'd join you with that fight!"

The two finally noticed something amiss. Cyril was SMILING. They both looked at him as if he had gone mad, to which he responded by pointing behind them.

"So you'd both like to fight me?" An ominous voice said behind them. Michael felt his blood go colder than the very element he had control over.

Sparx did the one thing he was best at, run "AHHH!"

He barely made it off of Michael's head before two fully extended sets of claws clamped over him. While this happened Michael finally attempted to run, only to have his tail pinned down by Cynder's hind leg.

"Now...What to do with you two..." Cynder spoke menacingly. Suddenly the perfect idea popped into her head "I'm just kidding, I'd never hurt my two best friends. Not physically...or _mentally_."

Cyril now seemed to have a disappointed expression. Apparently he was looking forward to a little morning brawl or slaughter in this case.

To his credit, Darman did an excellent job at not fleeing in terror from the dragoness, though his injuries might have played a part in that.

A few minutes passed in silence before the final dragon arrived "Sorry I'm late!" Spyro apologized.

"It is not a big problem, young dragon," Terrador waved his tardiness off "If I may inquire; where were you?"

"I was uh..." Spyro briefly looked over at Cynder, wondering if he should bend the truth just a bit "Doing some morning exercises with Amber." Spyro truthfully said. He was dimly aware of Michael slapping his face with his paw beside him.

"Yes yes yes, let's not waste any more time on this!" Cyril hastily said "Spyro, we will start with you."

"...What exactly should I do?" Spyro sheepishly asked.

"You were not informed at all?" Cyril asked in disbelief. The confused expression Spyro gave him was all he needed "You are to show us the capability of each of your elements. Same to the rest of you ,in case you did not know."

Terrador was the next to speak "Step into the arena, do not hold back with these dummies and only use your elemental breaths. One of each."

Spyro nodded and stepped into the fighting area. The moment he reached the center a dummy popped up on the opposite side of the arena.

The dummy was unmoving, so Spyro assumed this wasn't a test of elements in a fight. He decided he would use an element that he knew would work well to begin with, fire.

He slowly started to build up his attack, allowing the growing heat within him to build further and further. Several seconds later he felt that he could not contain it anymore and unleashed a massive torrent of fire, even bigger than the one he used to defeat the Elementals with the day before.

Both Darman and Michael's jaws were agape _'That fire attack was almost as big as the ones that Flame can make!'_ was the communal thought between the two.

Terrador gave an approving nod at the display _'Ignitus would be proud.'_ Terrador thought before speaking "Sparx." He called to the dragonfly whom obediently flew to the Guardian of Earth. Terrador leaned closer to him before whispering something to him.

"Now?" Sparx asked when Terrador finished.

"Yes."

"...Two blue butterflies."

"One blue and two yellow."

"Deal!" Sparx enthusiastically said before zipping away.

While the strange exchange went on, Spyro had already frozen a dummy in a thin layer of ice. It was very obvious that his ice breath was still much weaker than its fire counterpart when the ice melted off of the target with little damage done.

Spyro looked at his work, disappointed in himself for not being able to do any better.

When the next dummy appeared Spyro began gathering an electric charge. Static danced along his scales as more and more volts built up. The very air began buzzing with the power he was emanating.

He opened his maw and the area was illuminated with a flash of yellow light as an electrical bolt that would make Amber proud sprang forth and struck the target. It became evident that his electric element may have been weakened, but it was still strong enough to cause some serious damage. The dummy was singed all over and had a hole in its chest where the attack hit.

"What would you say about that attack, Volteer?" Terrador questioned the Guardian of Electricity.

Volteer did not hesitate in answering the question "In hindsight I would say it to be slightly deviated from his original point of power."

"English?" Sparx requested.

"He could do better." Cynder translated for him.

Sparx did a mock bow to the black dragoness after she answered "Thank ya' lass." The death glare he got in response was well worth the annoyance that filled her features.

The final dummy appeared, exactly the same as the rest.

Spyro only had his earth breath left to show the Guardians. The dummy was out of range from his Earth Blast, but a good stalagmite would still be a good way to attack the dummy.

Normally an earth dragon would estimate the distance between him and his target then use his ability to feel the estimated distance for a more precise feedback. This allows for an accurate attack that avoids friendly fire. Spyro lacked this ability so he only had estimations to go by.

The dummy looked to be about ten meters away at most. For an easy, guaranteed hit, Spyro decided to make a single, angled stalagmite. He gathered his energy in his front paws, allowing it to build up nearly to the point of overcharging. He reared back and slammed his forelegs onto the ground, keeping his paws in the angle he wants the attack to go in. It was not necessary to do so, but it made it easier to keep focus on the angle of the attack.

The attack hit spot on, impaling the dummy in the chest. The attack was very accurate, but that was where the praises would end. The stalagmite was very brittle and may have broken if it hit something harder than straw. It was also quite short for such an attack; the tip of the stalagmite could barely be seen on the back of the dummy.

By the end of it Spyro was lightly panting. He had gotten a lot of his abilities back, but he still lacked the capacity he once had to use them.

"Good show, Spyro!" Volteer cheered "Take a resting position adjacent to your companions while we evaluate Cynder."

Spyro merely nodded and did as he was told while Cynder took his place in the middle of the arena.

"That was amazing!" Michael complimented in a loud whisper "I knew you were strong but I wasn't expecting that much!"

"Quiet, you!" Cyril said harshly. He put more force behind his voice than needed but it got the job done.

Sparx chose that moment to reappear next to Terrador "It's done, old timer, I'll be wanting a bowl of water with those butterflies if you don't mind."

"Thank you, Sparx, when will they be here?" Terrador asked the dragonfly.

"The one that looks the green stuff Cynder spits out is already on his way here and the salamander will take a bit longer." Sparx informed the Earth Guardian.

Terrador nodded to Sparx before turning his attention back to the arena "You may begin when you are ready." Terrador announced.

On queue a dummy sprang up, once more standing completely still and open to any attack.

Cynder took the invitation in full force. She opened her maw and sent forth a blast of wind that ripped the dummy to shreds. When the rain of straw died down a second dummy sprang forth.

This time Cynder mixed several acids in the back of her throat. One by one more deadly toxins mixed into a very strong poison attack. The entire process took about a second, at which point she launched the glob forward. The sticky green liquid exploded on contact with the dummy, covering the entire thing in a lethal poison. For a moment there was only an acrid smoke, the damage to the dummy seemed nonexistent. Without warning however, the entire construct collapsed, melting away to the same sickly green color as the poison.

Before the next dummy was summoned, Cyril stepped forward to freeze the deadly poison which would be properly disposed of later on.

Once Cyril sat down a third dummy appeared. Cynder grinned maliciously as she prepared to use her favorite element, shadow.

Cynder casually stood up on her hind legs before falling backwards. Instead of hitting the floor she melted into her shadow, disappearing to all on the outside world. Cynder prowled through the shadow-world towards her target. She loved this element but she hated that when she moved it took a great deal of energy, like firing a constant breath attack. This was why she could only use it as a last resort or a short ranged sneak-attack. She could be in the shadow world for much longer if she simply stood still, making it perfect for ambushes.

After a few steps she came upon her target and stood directly beneath its shadow. Since physical attacks were not allowed in this demonstration, she was forced to create an elemental attack within her elemental attack. She had, in fact been practicing this very technique since being freed from the Time Crystal but never got the chance to use it in combat. The reason for this is it took an unreasonable amount of energy to perform. This was not actual combat, so she could afford to show off a bit.

She concentrated hard on the shadows surrounding her and the shadow she was targeting. The shadows crept onto her frame until it covered her completely. Meanwhile on the surface world the shadow of the dummy was becoming darker and darker, it seemed to be depriving the area around it of light.

When her attack was ready, Cynder leapt out of the dummy's shadow like she normally would when she strikes from the shadow world. The main difference is that she made no contact with the dummy. Instead she passed right through it, leaving a solid trail of shadow behind her. When she hit the floor again a new shadow was formed, sending Cynder to the shadow world once more.

The unfortunate dummy was left suspended in the middle of what looked to be a parabolic arc made out of solid shadows. It stood like that for several seconds, the shadows refusing to give way. The entire attacked collapsed at once when Cynder reappeared in her original position in the center of the arena. Instead of leaping out like she normally would, the shadows clung to her body when she emerged and slowly slipped from her frame. By that time all the younger dragons plus Volteer sat with slack jaws at what they had just seen.

"Showoff!" A very annoying voice said in the silence.

"Incredibleunbelieveablemarvelousong-"

"Yes Volteer, we all saw it!" Cyril said with the intent of shutting up the energetic Guardian.

"I do agree with him," Terrador then looked over at the younger dragons and laughed softly "So do they."

"I...I've never seen you do that before Cynder, what was that?" Spyro asked, still in awe.

"It's an attack I've been working on, Shade Slash." Cynder said with pride "I made it to take out highly defended targets and get out without being at risk myself. I never got it right; it drains me way too much and the one I'm about to attack gets an early warning if it looks at its shadow."

"A wise decision using it here," Terrador commended "Please continue to your final element."

Spyro and Sparx both gave involuntary shudders as they remembered her forth element.

The next dummy sprang forth, ready to take whatever Cynder is about to throw at it. Cynder broke out into a sprint, ready to give a point blank Banshee Scream. She did not have the energy to execute any of her more advanced fear attacks. She also had one other...ulterior motive for choosing this technique.

"Cover your ears, Cynder is about to sing!" Sparx called out for all present to hear. For once Spyro didn't even try to chastise his foster brother as he covered his ears for what's to come.

The Guardians saw this and followed his lead. Michael and Darman merely looked at them strangely "Why are you-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Michael could never finish his sentence as a screech that would put a choir of Ice Elementals to shame drowned out all other sound.

"OH sweet merciful scales of the Ancestors that _HURTS_!" Michael cursed loudly as he fell to the ground as he clutched both of his ears.

"It wasn't that bad Michael." Spyro said to the dragon who heard nothing _'Fear attacks are loud, but they aren't _that_ loud unless they are targeted on- damn it Cynder!'_ Spyro slowly looked to see Cynder standing behind a now headless dummy, smiling triumphantly. Sure enough she had positioned Michael to be the next victim to her Banshee Scream. The dummy took the actual attack; Michael was merely left with the very large amount of noise.

"Sorry about that Darman." Cynder apologized, not even sparing Michael a second look.

Darman however merely tilted his head sideways "Sorry for what?"

"For that fear a-ooooh." Cynder began explaining but stopped once she saw the lines on his body "I guess fear is not physical."

Darman was about to ask what she meant, but stopped short when he looked at his front leg. The normally thin black lines were very slightly bigger; meaning the attack and all of its effects did not affect him.

"LUCKY YOU DIDN'T HEAR THAT!" Michael loudly shouted, unable to hear himself or others through the ringing in his ears.

Darman quickly made motions with his paws for him to tone it down while he mouthed the word 'quiet'. Michael seemed to have gotten the message and shut up while digging a claw into his ear in a feeble attempt to clear the ringing.

When Cynder sat down next to Spyro, Michael glared daggers at her to which she merely waved innocently at him _'I'm starting to think Sparx is right about her being a demon...'_

As he kept trying to clear his senses he felt a shoving on his side. He looked over to see Darman pointing out into the arena. He turned to face the Guardians who were giving him similar, yet subtler, motions.

"OK!"He said too loudly once more as he sprinted to the center of the arena.

He eagerly nodded to the Guardians once he reached the center. From the usual spot sprang another dummy.

Michael decided to start with a basic Earth Missile. He planned on making it the way he told the Guardians he does it, which they told him was incorrect.

He opened his maw and directed his element towards it. Once he had gathered enough he let it solidify and launched a single, fast moving piece of earth at the dummy. It may be a basic attack, but the basics were basic for a reason. The entire attack, flight to target included, took less than a second to do.

The dummy fell to the ground, the Earth Missile sticking through its head. The ringing was beginning to subside, but the effects were still present. He once more nodded to the Guardians, indicating that he was ready. He could see their lips moving but could still make out no other sound.

He noticed a new figure amongst the three Guardians, a large Earth dragon whom he recognized easily as his father.

With new determination he turned to the newly risen dummy. Without wasting a second he channeled his icy energy towards the back of his throat where he allowed it to build up. Sure it might be showing off, but since Cynder did it, why couldn't he?

The cold kept gathering, each passing moment it dropped a degree. As his powers gathered the pressure within himself also grew. The one factor that he learned about his strange element was that it will remain in a constant liquid form regardless of other aspects until he cut the flow of power to it.

He finally opened his maw to let loose a stream of water, completely covering the dummy. The attack looked like his basic water/ice attack, but the pressure and extra cold he put into it was yet to be released. He bit down and in the same instant that the water froze, it completely imploded and shattered itself and the dummy into millions of tiny icicles.

When the last piece hit the floor he looked at his father. Sure enough he was beaming with just as much pride as his son. He then looked at the Guardians and his friends who had the same awed expressions as when Cynder did her Shade Slash. Except for Cyril who had a look of anger and disgust at the display.

"Sit down." Cyril commanded angrily before any praises could be said on this violation of the ice element.

Michael smiled up at his father "What are you doing here dad?"

"Oh nothing much, the Guardians just wanted me and Inferno to see this." Morris answered his question "I am very proud of you! Have you thought of a name for it yet?"

Michael tapped a claw on his chin as he thought about it "Imploding Water to Ice Attack?" Morris merely gave his son an expression that clearly said 'really?' "Ok, ok! I'll think of something better!"

Morris chuckled as he ruffled Michael's head scales "That's my boy!"

"Darman, go!" Cyril barked, still angry with Michael and his ability.

The shy dragon yelped in surprise as he nervously ran forward. Once he reached the center he was shrinking back at the amount of eyes on him.

"You may begin when you are ready." Terrador announced before Cyril could scare the dragon further.

A single dummy appeared once more. Darman may have seen his friends do it just before him, but he was suffering from what any shy dragon would do when a group watched his every move.

"Darman, just relax," Inferno soothingly said. Apparently he had appeared unnoticed to Darman during his panic "Just do what you always do and show us what you are capable of."

Knowing there is one very familiar face within the crowd, he was able to calm himself down enough to not just tremble on the spot.

He commanded his element to gather up within his closed maw. Unlike normal elements, this barely took any concentration to perform. As it always happens, the lines on his body grew according to the amount of power he was channeling into his maw. They grew larger and larger until they were several times thicker than they usually are.

As the energy reached its peak he opened his maw and allowed the small piece of void energy travel outwards like a small, deep blue bullet. As it flied towards the dummy it made no noise what so ever; not the sounds of crackling energy, no sound when it left Darman's maw, it didn't even make the typical sound when something travels through the air.

Despite the silent nature of the projectile; it could _easily_ be seen as it went on. It left behind a trail with the same deep blue color it had. The speed of the projectile was relatively slow for a breath attack. It was as slow as, if not slower, than an Earth Missile, making it very easy to dodge if the target was aware of the incoming danger. It would be very effective against unaware enemies and against enemies that could not move to dodge.

As the unimpressive little attack made contact with the straw dummy the unexpected happened; it disappeared. For several seconds Spyro and the rest of the dragons who didn't know Darman looked upon the scene in confusion, wondering if it was just a bluff for the real attack.

"Is the purpose of the elemental assault just performed meant as a subtle distraction?" Volteer questioned when nothing happened.

"Watch." Inferno answered as he kept his attention on the dummy.

_CRACK_

The air where the attack hit violently exploded, blasting a hole into the dummy's chest and taking an arm. Not very long after the explosion, a very small black spec appeared and what felt like a light breeze kicked up around all the dragons present. The noiseless attack was now emitting a low whistle sound like air being cut constantly.

It soon became obvious that the 'breeze' seemed to be going towards that black spec. The last – and most shocking – thing they noticed was that the dummy was twisting and bending in painful ways where the spec was. Slowly the entire dummy was ripped into smaller pieces and reformed into a solid ball of straw.

When it was all over the ball of straw fell to the ground, breaking up on impact. Any evidence that it once had a form was lost.

By the end of it, Darman was taking long inhales of air, his thickened lines refusing to recede after the attack ended and his legs were trembling with the strain of keeping him upright.

'_So what they said was true...'_ Cyril thought as he assessed the damage caused by the single attack _'That easily had enough force in it to break bone and rip scales; I'll have to keep an eye on him.'_

"Wha...What did you just do?" Spyro asked the question on his and Cynder's minds.

"He just generated a fracture in the gravitational pull; he basically created a second source of gravity by removing all other matter from the area for a short amount of time...extraordinary..." Volteer explained without his usual overuse of synonyms.

Darman gave it his all just to keep standing and bringing his breathing under control once more. It was futile, his attack had simply taken too much out of him and he fell forward; completely out cold.

Inferno looked over to the captain of the settlement guard, they both nodded simultaneously before Morris spoke "Whenever he does that it drains him immensely, may we take him back to the infirmary?"

"Take him; we will inform him of his results at a later time." Terrador then stopped Inferno as he tried to step towards Darman "I want you to come to my class once you have dropped Darman off at the infirmary."

Inferno looked to Darman one more time before giving Terrador his full attention again "Yes, sir." Inferno complied then calmly walked towards his adopted son.

Morris helped to lift the limp form of Darman onto Inferno's back. After saying their farewells to the rest of the dragons they left for the infirmary.

"I thank you again for your cooperation at such an early hour," Terrador said to the remaining dragons "We are done here and you will receive the results tomorrow in your class. You are all to go to the Academy where you will have a normal day of studying. Lastly, Spyro; you are to come to the Advanced classes from today onwards."

Spyro looked confused at the sudden decision "Not that I'm complaining Terrador, but why?"

"Simple young one, you have proven your capabilities in combat during the ambush and have shown that you are anything but lacking in the elemental department. Therefore we see it fit to allow you to attend a class that would match your abilities." Cyril answered.

"Don't look a gift cheetah in the mouth bro!" Sparx agreed "Just take it, what's the worst that could happen...besides you spending more time around that scaled menace." Sparx finished while pointing towards Cynder.

Cynder rolled her eyes in response "Oh please, like it's better spending more time with a hyperactive, sarcastic, psychotic bug."

"HEY!" Sparx shouted indignantly "I am _not_ hyperactive!"

"Alright Terrador, I'll be there." Spyro answered and left before the arguments escalated.

xXx

_::Mistress.::_

"Hmmm..." Flake groaned in response.

_::Mistress Flake.:: _The voice came again, slightly louder.

"Go to Convexity Appolonir, I'm sleeping..." She groggily complained in her blissful state of half sleep.

_::Master Appolonir is not in the vicinity, I am but one of the many Elementals at your disposal.::_

"Elementals?" Flake muttered a bit clearer. Then the events of the past day hit her and she nearly jumped upright _::You better have a good excuse for waking me, otherwise I will have you killed where you stand.::_

_::If you wish so mistress. I request to know what our next orders are?:: _The Elemental asked the still waking dragoness.

_::Continue your search for the Orb of Electricity while I recover.:: _Flake issued their orders.

_:It shall be done, is there anything else we can do mistress?::_

_::Yes.:: _Flake answered immediately _::Do not kill the purple dragon or his mate, they may still be of use.::_

_::What of the other dragons that were with you?:: The voice questioned ::Should they be left alive as well?::_

Flake grinned evilly as her answer came "Kill them."

_::We shall obey. I apologize for waking you mistress Flake.:: _The Elemental sent, ending the conversation.

"Damned Elementals...I wonder if a good beating would set them straight?" Flake wondered aloud.

Little did she know that a light green scaled dragon was sitting outside her door, aware of parts of the conversation.

xXx

A/N

Yes, another cliffhanger! :D

A special thanks to Unit Omicron for being an awesome beta! Be sure to check out his story The Spyro and Cynder Adventures: Eternal Slumber!**  
**And another big THANKS to Mr Teggsy for helping me smooth out the rough edges in this chapter!

I decided to make a slight change to this ending A/N. Instead of answering some reviews I am going to do something I don't do often enough, thanking all those who helped me (You. Will. Not. Skip.)

Darman700: Thanks for giving me the support I needed to post this chapter, couldn't have made it to chapter 1 without you!

Unit Omicron: Thanks for being such an incredible beta reader! I know fixing my many mistakes is a pain in the ass, but you endured it so the rest of the readers don't! :D

Mr Teggsy: For your many motivational words and your critical eye for finding plotholes and other errors in the story. Not to mention your two reviews that were longer than my first chapter xD

Zizima: I did nothing, stop bothering me! ...and for betaing my story a while ago...

XxTheSomeonexX: For your unwavering support since chapter 2, your reviews always help me :)

Coincidencless: The one I mentioned the least yet still gave me some of the best reviews I ever got!

MurasakiKuroAkai: He gave me _Michael_! There's no way I couldn't include you for giving me my favorite character to write!

RogueMelodyAngel: One of my first reviewers with nothing but constructive words!

Wolfartist117: Continuous support and pointing out one of my more recent mistakes.

Morning Frost on Leaf: I like the name, so I put it in here! Definitely _not_ for offering support and constructive criticism.

Phoenix of Decay: Kept me laughing throughout my recovery after my accident, really helped a lot!

Darkness Oversoul: For helping me fix Cynder in the earlier chapters where she was very OOC. Darkness Oversoul has a very well made and detailed fic that you have to check out, it's called Uncharted.

HiImLuffy: For his creative reviews, always got me laughing xD

Stealth: You have done many great things for me, but before I name any of them (like support, advice and jokes regarding red crystals :P) try posting without being anonymous, it makes it impossible for me to get back to you! :(

OK! Now that that's out of the way I would like to thank everyone for the flames from last chapter, but they won't be necessary anymore because Flame and Darman moved in. They are awesome roomies, they help pay the rent, keep the burglars away, Flame provides a warm fire and Darman contributes by warding off any new flames. That's right you fiery trolls, I have the very definition of the anti-flame _livingwith_ me! Your flames are now useless! Now, if you'll excuse me, I got a pack of marshmallows and Flame has a bonfire going!


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**

**NO! Put down whatever you want to throw me with!**

**Yes, I know this chapter is a week late *dodges a spear* but let me explain! I was attacked by several vicious monsters; writers block, work, dota2 and doctors. Luckily, I kept a journal of those happenings! Yes...what you are about to read is 100% true and not made up to cover my laziness at all...**

X

It all happened two days after the party with the bonfire. Many friends joined with the party that night, it was more fun than I had had in a long time.

Unsurprisingly, Flame woke up the next morning with a pretty bad hangover. Poor guy couldn't even get out of bed until 2 p.m. When he was finally able to find his footing, Darman insisted he should relax for the rest of the day. Flame was in no position to argue with the void dragon.

Throughout that entire Saturday, each time I wanted to continue writing, I heard voices.

"Tiny commands you to come to dota2!" A very gravelly voice called out from everywhere.

For fear of my life, I complied with the voice. I soon found myself slaughtering a very familiar stone golem for the rest of the day.

The next day was just as uneventful for several hours; until I got a call from Darman (hell if I know how he uses a phone...must be a Samsung) saying they won't be back for the rest of the day and that he took Flame with him.

With our plans to rob a bank-I mean watch movies (yes...we were going to watch Man of Steel...) canceled for the evening; I decided to pay a visit to one of my friends. I stayed there for a few hours, chatting and playing some games. When I checked the time I found it to be 6 p.m. already. With a hasty goodbye I left for my home.

As I unlocked the door I promised myself to at least get 2000 words done. I went straight to my PC, determined not to keep those who want to read chapter 13 waiting any longer. I put my crutches on the floor next to me and shuffled into my chair.

That's when it happened.

"Hmmhmmhmm... So you finally decide to start writing?" A voice said from behind me.

I whirled around to face the unknown being. My eyes flew wide open what I saw, or rather, what I didn't see. The creature had no solid form. Its shape was constantly changing, all the while surrounded by a dark haze. I could see many things within this entity, no what I saw were ideas. I saw Spyro, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Harry Potter, Sonic, Halo...the list was nearly endless...

"W-What are you?!" I demanded fearfully.

"You haven't realized it yet?" The thing mockingly asked me "I am the bane of writers, the embodiment of fear to all like you! I am what you were destined to encounter eventually, Airchi..."

Then it hit me "Writer's Block!"

"HAHAHA! YES!" Writer's block boomed "And I have come to drain you of inspiration and all your ideas! I think I will keep doing so for...say a week?"

"NO!" I yelled in protest "You can't! I have to update my-"

I could never finish my sentence. A dark tendril had already enveloped the top of my head. I could see new images within the creature. Images of Spyro, Cynder, Sion, Flake, the Guardians, Prowlus, even the Elementals flashed within the haze.

Through my draining mind, I could hear Writer's Block speaking "I do not care. I strike where I am not wanted and take all ideas as my own!"

Just like that, my ideas were gone.

X

**See? I have a completely legit reason. That thing violated my mind for a full week! *Sidesteps a rocket* Really now, no need to bring military grade weapons into this...**

**I have already made this A/N (if you want to call it that) long enough, so I'll end it here.**

**DISCLAIMER: Even though two dragons are living with me, I still do not own them (Wait, yes I do! I own Darman! Take THAT potential law suites!), any other characters from Spyro, any companies to do with them, locations and so forth.**

"Normal talking."  
_'Thinking...'_  
_::Elemental speech.::  
_**Surprise surprise, A/Ns are still in bold!**

**Now I'll start the chapter before that **_**thing**_** comes back!**

**xXx**

When all of the demonstrations were over, classes were due to begin in ten minutes. Fortunately for all dragons that were present, the classes were not far away from where they currently stood.

Spyro groaned when he realized what his first class would be.

Geometry with Cyril.

'_Just great, maybe I can catch up on some sleep while I'm there...'_ Spyro thought with a mental sigh. He then turned towards the rest of the group "What classes do you two have?"

"Combat Tactics." They both replied "What do you have Spyro?" Cynder inquired.

"...Geometry."

"Well, look at it this way; you can rest for a little while." Cynder optimistically told the purple dragon.

"I guess you're right." Spyro admitted.

After a few steps in silence, Michael thought now would be the perfect time to initiate his plan "Spyro, Cynder."

"Yes?" They answered.

"I was wondering...since I am still new to Warfang, would you two mind showing me around?" Michael requested.

"You want us to show you around Warfang?" Spyro asked skeptically "Why don't you just explore it for yourself?"

"Oh no, I don't want you to show me the inside of Warfang, it's the _outside_ of it that I want to see! I'm sure Ember would be just as interested in seeing the outside world a bit more." Michael explained, all the while making slight gestures towards Cynder.

Fortunately the obsidian colored dragoness caught the signals "He has a point Spyro, they have been underground for the last couple of years. We should take them!" Cynder said in a mixture of excitement and hope.

"I don't know," Spyro began "What if we run into more of those Elementals?"

"It's not like we'll be flying to the Tall Plains," Cynder said as she nudged him playfully "We'll keep close to Warfang. Right, Michael?"

"Yeah, we just want to get a good view of the area and maybe even land for a little lunch."

Spyro sighed as he realized he won't be winning this one "Fine, at what time do we go?"

"I'll ask Ember when she can go, but maybe after our last classes?" Michael suggested.

"Alright, I'll meet you two in the cafeteria." Spyro looked towards his class "If I'm not there then it means I'll still be here, sleeping."

They both chuckled at the small joke before Cynder and Michael took their leave from their purple friend.

When Cynder was sure there was nobody around to overhear them, she spoke in a near whisper "What do you have planned?"

"You'll have to wait and see, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you now would it?" Michael asked rhetorically.

"No...I guess not." Cynder sighed "When will you ask Ember to go?"

Michael considered the question for a bit before answering "I have Trade and Economy with her next period, I'll probably ask her then."

Cynder grinned "You sure she'll be able to hear you over Volteer's drabble?"

"Heheh, I'll come up with something."

After turning a couple of corners they reached their class room, Terrador had already begun with his lesson "Therefore an ice dragon would be at a disadvantage when fighting an electricity dragon. Any questions?" a single paw was raised "Yes, Drake."

"If we have an advantage be-" Drake cut himself short, instead looking towards the two new dragons in the room.

"Cynder, Michael, very nice of you to join us." Terrador said with some humor "Take a seat."

In truth, both of them were expecting some sort of punishment for being late for the class. They silently did as the Guardian of Earth told them.

"Now that we have that out of the way, Drake, continue your question." Terrador told the electricity dragon.

The gold scaled dragon perked up and continued "If we have an advantage because we can feel the building power from an ice dragon, then why don't we have the same advantage over earth and fire dragons?"

"A very good question, young one." Terrador complimented "It is very simple. Ice dragons build their cold within themselves before unleashing the attack. That change in temperature is caused by their inner energy, which is what you sense. Fire dragons on the other paw, mix several gasses within themselves. These gasses require a very low amount of energy to produce initially, which makes it undetectable for all but the most experienced of electricity dragons, not even the Guardian of Electricity, Volteer, is able to sense a fire attack coming before it leaves the maw."

"Then how are we able to feel the energy so clearly once they expel it?" Drake pressed on, his words beginning to speed up, obviously enthralled by the information.

"The gasses they mix are flammable, but not very magical, meaning if they ignited those gasses they would only get a very small flash of very intense fire from their maws." Terrador went on "In order for them to do any actual attacks, such as their basic breath, they need to be able to manipulate those gasses to last longer and be less intense. The energy they use for that manipulation is what you feel when they use their attacks."

"Whatoftheearthdragons?" Drake asked in an enthusiastic blur of words.

"Most earth techniques are formed so quickly that by the time you realize we are gathering energy, an attack is most likely to already be on its way to you. There are a few exceptions that can maybe give you a second or two at most before the attack is launched, however those are powerful attacks." Terrador finished explaining "Now that that is done, Cynder and Michael will give us all a detailed explanation of the inherit abilities of earth dragons and wind dragons along with their disadvantages and advantages both in and out of combat."

Both dragons groaned loudly, but didn't protest otherwise. It was their fault for walking around the Academy before heading to their class.

xXx

In the infirmary a light green scaled dragon was patiently awaiting the arrival of his long time friend. Sion hadn't seen Darman since the previous day and he was anxious to find out how the void dragon was doing.

When Sion came in after breakfast he found Darman to already be gone. The young earth dragon decided to pass the time by visiting Glacia. After entering the room, Sion found her to still be asleep, so he decided to wait outside of her door. Darman's room was within sight from there, that way he could hear if Glacia wakes up while keeping an eye out for his injured friend.

After waiting for several minutes he heard a noise behind him "Hmmm..."

Sion turned around to face the direction of the voice "Go to Convexity, Appolonir, I'm sleeping..."

'_Appolonir?'_ Sion thought to himself _'Does she already have a visitor?'_

Sion was about to enter the room when a single word stopped him "Elementals?"

Sion's first thought was that she was just sleep-talking. He would have kept thinking so, but her voice was clear as day, that was not the mutterings of a being still in a state of sleep.

His suspicions were confirmed with the next words "Kill them." Those words were spoken with a cold finality, as if she was ordering someone to do something.

'_Maybe she's in that state where you think you are still in a dream while you are really awake.'_ Sion nearly chuckled, but he kept himself from doing so, dragons in such a state had the potential to be _very_ dangerous if they were startled.

"Damned Elementals...I wonder if a good beating would set them straight?" Those last words were all Sion needed to hear to convince him. What she was saying was making absolutely no sense, she was either in some dream like daze or she possessed the ability to sleep talk like a pro.

After those words, Sion didn't hear a single word more from the ice dragoness. He quickly became bored with the waiting game. He was about to head out when he saw two large, familiar dragons at the reception with the very object of his waiting resting on one of their backs.

"Good morning!" Sion cheerfully greeted the two larger dragons.

"Good morning, Sion!" Morris greeted back "Here to see Darman?"

Sion nodded in answer "I am glad to see Darman has such good friends," Inferno said while looking back towards the dragon sleeping on his back "Unfortunately you will have to come back later, he will be out for a while."

Morris looked out of a window, taking notice of the position of the sun "Sion, weren't you supposed to be at the Academy a little while ago?"

Sion mimicked Morris by looking out of the window. He soon panicked when he realized that the older earth dragon was right "Oh no! I have Geometry now!" His panic was soon replaced with a slowly spreading smile "I have Geometry now...with Cyril."

"Well you don't want to keep the Guardian of Ice waiting, best get going." Inferno told the green scaled dragon, completely unaware of the single thought in Sion's head.

'_I am going to miss Cyril's class for a valid reason! YES!'_ Instead of saying that he chose to say something that would not get him in trouble "You're right! I should get going, bye!"

Sion sprinted past the two older dragons and took to the skies.

"...He's not planning on getting there fast, is he?" Inferno asked the earth dragon.

"No, and I don't blame him," Morris said with a small laugh "You'd do the same if you ever had to listen to Cyril talk for any length of time."

"You must be exaggerating Morris, surely the Guardian of Ice can't be that bad, can he?" Inferno asked.

Morris gave him a deadpan look "Imagine a world where the exact opposite of master Volteer exists." Inferno's jaw dropped open at that point "Where his words are slower and more deliberate, yet he is unable to keep his maw closed long enough for others to speak."

Inferno finally had the sense to close his mouth "That bad, huh?"

Morris merely nodded "Count your blessings that you don't have to be in a room with him for hours at a time like the young ones."

Both of the older dragons shared a friendly laugh as they took Darman towards his room to rest further.

xXx

After several hours of mostly boring, theoretical lessons, the most anticipated class of the day was upon all the dragons in the Academy; Combat training.

Spyro felt more than ready for the class. After all, he had more than two hours worth of sleep in during Geometry and Dragon History.

Spyro was not the first to arrive at Terrador's class. Inside, Flame was already waiting and greeted him upon entering "Hey, Spyro! Haven't seen you in a while."

Spyro took a seat next to the fire dragon as he spoke "Hi, Flame. It has been a while, what's new?"

Flame shrugged as he replied "Meh, same old routine. I heard you did your elemental evaluation this morning, how did that go?"

"Not as well as it could have, I still can't use all of my elements that well." Spyro answered with a sigh "The only element that is capable of doing any real damage right now is my fire element."

Flame gave his friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder "I'm sure they'll all come back eventually, just give it some time!" Flame then redirected his attention to where two larger dragons were standing "By the way, do you know what my dad is doing here with master Terrador?"

Spyro looked up and, sure enough, found Inferno talking with Terrador. How he failed to notice the large red dragon was beyond him "I honestly have no idea, but Terrador called Morris and your dad to watch our evaluation. I have no idea why, though."

The third student of the class made her entrance, but went unnoticed as Flame kept on talking "Maybe Terrador has him here to train us with fire since the only one in the Advanced class that can't use it is Cynder."

"You're right, I can't use it." Cynder said, surprising both males with her presence "Hello to you as well, Flame."

"H-Hi, Cynder!" Flame greeted with a stutter "When did you get here?"

"Just in time to hear you say I can't use fire as an element." Cynder informed the fire dragon before turning her attention to Spyro "So did you find out if Michael asked Ember yet?"

Spyro shook his head in response "No not yet, haven't seen him since this morning."

While Cynder took the seat behind Spyro, Flame decided to prod them for more information "What did Michael ask Ember now?"

"Nothing much, they just want to see the outside a bit so we are going to show them around." Spyro replied, completely oblivious to the true reason.

"Mind if I join?"

"Not at all!" Spyro answered before Cynder could raise objections "We should ask Sion and Amber as well, but I don't think Darman is healthy enough to go exploring yet."

"Yeah, I agree with that." Flame nodded while Cynder just shook her head.

"Hello, _Malefor_, decided to join us today?" A new, unkind voice said "Or did you just come to get your little puppet to slaughter more families?"

Cynder recoiled at those words, but said nothing else. Spyro, however, was not about to leave it at that "Who are you to say such things? You know absolutely nothing of her!" Spyro shot back with a sneer, not even addressing the insult he was given.

"I know that she has no heart, how else is she able to kill so easily?"

"Mind your own business Pyro, just leave her alone!" Flame loudly said, gaining the attention of the two older dragons.

"What are you going to do about it?" Pyro challenged "Are you going to hide underground again?"

By now, both of the fire dragons were standing inches away from each other with fully extended claws while Spyro was more concerned for the target of Pyro's words.

"Enough!" The deep voice of Terrador bellowed "Pyro, Flame, take your seats!"

Pyro blew a plume of smoke in Flame's face, nearly causing him to attack the dragon that openly called both of his friends murderers, but was stopped by Cynder's words "Just leave him, he's not worth it..."

Both Spyro and Flame could easily pick up on the amount of sadness she spoke with, but complied nonetheless.

'_I really hope we get to spar today...'_ Spyro thought to himself, contemplating how to cause as much suffering to the fire dragon as possible.

"Spyro," Cynder spoke from behind him "You're changing, calm down...please."

Spyro looked down and, sure enough, found small tendrils of darkness slowly creeping up his forelegs. He forced himself to calm down, to not think about the dragon that said those hurtful words towards Cynder.

After much effort he finally succeeded without any of the other dragons noticing.

While this happened, Terrador and Inferno continued talking. This went on for several more minutes before Terrador addressed his class of four dragons "For today's combat lesson I thought we could try something a little bit different. I have requested that Inferno visits the class to give a brief explanation and demonstration of Advanced Fire Manipulation."

Inferno took that as his cue to step forward "As I understand it, you four are the most talented young dragons in terms of combat in the Academy. As you are hopefully aware, fire dragons use their element by using a small amount of highly flammable and explosive gasses to use their attacks. The gasses alone would barely make a difference; however, with Basic Manipulation, a stream of fire can be achieved."

To prove his point he expelled a small stream of flames from his maw "The next step would be to gain control of those gasses and use them to use more advanced techniques. One such example would be to form the gasses within you and expel it from your maw. On its own, that will do little more than cause a smelly breeze. But, by adding even the smallest spark to that will result in an explosion."

"Which Inferno will demonstrate once we go to the training grounds." Terrador cut in "However before we go, I would ask of you three not to attempt this. It is both dangerous and exhausting to use. Rest assured I will get a proper mentor to teach you how to do this."

"Can't the he just teach it to us?" Pyro asked from the back of the class.

"No." Inferno replied "I am but an amateur with this advanced art. I can only just perform the basic attacks."

"Tch, figures." Pyro grunted to himself.

"Any other questions?" Terrador asked, ignoring the comment made by Pyro. When he was met by silence he continued "Good. Spyro, Flame and Pyro, you three are to go with Inferno. Cynder, you will come with me."

The younger dragons complied with the orders without any arguments. The walk towards the training grounds was uneventful. Upon entering they all gathered on the edge.

Once there Terrador and Inferno had another brief, private discussion. When they were finished Inferno stepped into the arena. He seemed to go into a deep focus before nodding towards Terrador.

Shortly afterwards, fifteen straw dummies appeared, scattered all over the arena. Without wasting any time, Inferno opened his maw, spraying the area with a nearly invisible gas. The large fire dragon did a full 360 degrees, spraying his targets with the deadly gasses.

Once he was finished he leaped into the air with the aid of his wings and shot a single, tiny fireball to where he previously stood. The effect was instantaneous.

Before the fireball hit the ground a brilliant light followed by a deafening boom erupted from the arena. It lasted for less than a second before all was silent again.

When the younger dragons opened their eyes again they were speechless. All of the dummies were blasted to nothing. Not even a single straw remained. The surprises did not end there. The floor of the arena showed no signs that the explosion ever occurred. They were nearly next to the explosion but they were fine, they had no signs of damage on them.

In the centre of it all stood a heavily panting Inferno, he too suffered no injuries.

Even though Terrador expected this sort of response from the younger dragons, it did not stop him from grinning in amusement.

"Wha...how?" The usually unimpressed Pyro gaped.

"That was the most basic attack of the Advanced Fire abilities." Inferno responded after sufficiently regaining his breath "As for how, I used a _very_ large amount of the basic gasses used in basic fire abilities."

"Wait," Flame interrupted "You're telling me that Advanced Fire abilities only use the gasses from basic fire breathing?"

"Not all, but this technique does, yes." Inferno corrected.

After finally composing himself, Pyro asked a very obvious question "Then how can it be considered Advanced if it only uses those basic gasses?"

"There are many reasons, like finding the right mixture of gasses to meet your needs; in this case, an explosion." Inferno said, gesturing towards the training ring behind him "But the foremost requirement is resisting the natural urge to ignite those gasses before they can leave your maw. Your next major problems would be exhaustion and containing the blast."

The questions would have been endless, had Terrador not stepped in after that answer "I am certain you will find the answers if you practice it yourselves. For the rest of the class, I want you three," Terrador pointed to the three fire users "To overcome that primal instinct of igniting those gasses until the class ends."

"What should I do, Terrador?" Cynder asked the Earth Guardian.

"I am going to help you improve your elemental control to make abilities such as your Shade Slash practical in combat and teach you the basic theory of Elemental Combinations, which will be taught to the rest of you once you can expel those gasses." Terrador answered, the last part being directed to all four of them.

After brief nods of confirmation, they all went towards the two teachers.

xXx

Ever since his meeting with the Guardians, Prowlus was nearly driven to drinking. Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on your perspective), the situation required a level headed leader.

Prowlus learned that the Orb of Electricity was less than two kilometers from his village. The very thing that may cause their problems to increase further was at the doorstep to his village.

Several dragons and moles from Warfang and dragons the eastern settlement arrived recently to aid in the defense of the deadly object.

The chief of the cheetah village was currently sitting in his hut, going over the defenses currently being installed into the cove and the positions of the various types of dragons, cheetahs and moles.

Tro was overseeing the tasks being done. Prowlus trusted Tro, but the grim reality is that if the Elementals found even the smallest crack in their strategy their already small odds of victory will plummet further.

The cause of the chief's most recent migraine was none other than the old Hermit living within the cove. The crazed old cheetah was stubbornly refusing to leave for his own safety; he even turned down an offer from Prowlus to return to the village.

The Hermit kept giving cryptical messages to those trying to get him out "Elements of old, movements most bold. First awakened by explosion of pure. Now the hardships thy must endure."

One of the things the seemingly senile Hermit said struck Prowlus in a way he did not like at all. "A war lost, an ally gained. The corruption of all focused in one, the birth of an evil second to none. Do not resist but must embrace; lest you cause the extinction of the dragon race."

Prowlus growled in frustration. He may once have been blind enough to wave those words off as nothing but the ramblings of a decaying mind, but now Prowlus was able to recognize the informed way in which the Hermit was speaking. Those words were spoken like the Hermit had recited them many times over; they were not some random ramblings of the exiled cheetah.

"Guards!" Prowlus bellowed. Seconds later two cheetahs emerged within the hut "Prepare an escort to go to the cove."

Both guards saluted before leaving the hut to follow the orders given by their chief.

xXx

In the forests near the cheetah village a small squad of five Ice Elementals (four grunts, one scythe armed) and three Earth Elementals were watching the scene in front of them with great suspicion.

Dragons, cheetahs and moles alike were steadily going into a small cave beside a waterfall. At first it was only dragons, so they thought it as nothing more than a hidden settlement.

When several cheetah warriors went into the cave unhindered by the three dragons guarding it, they became suspicious and sent for a commanding Elemental to assist them in figuring out these strange events. It had been at least an hour since then.

They kept observing the scene unfolding in front of them. All three of the races were taking many kinds of resources into the cave. The dragons were carrying rocks of varying sizes, the cheetahs had large logs along with other types of timber and the moles were taking in what appeared to be bags of tools.

They kept observing the scene, patiently waiting for their commander to arrive or something else to happen.

Their patience was rewarded when a three icicled Ice Elemental arrived along with a commander of the Earth Elementals.

The Earth Elemental commander was a large being, easily three heads taller than the Ice Elemental commander. It had four legs, each ending on a sharp point. Its body was appropriately large; it consisted of a single piece of solid rock, much like its Ice Elemental counterpart. Several small spikes and carvings were present on the creature, the carvings were like those found on the Obelisk of Earth. The being had four thick, bulky arms, ending with three equally bulky and stumped fingers. Its head could only be described as a smooth, polished rock floating centimeters above the heavily spiked shoulders. Finally, it has a signature crystal within its chest guarded by many small earth spikes.

_::Why have you called for us?::_ The commanding Ice Elemental asked the scythe user.

_::We have noted several strange occurrences within this area, primarily beneath that waterfall.::_ The smaller Elemental replied while pointing towards the guarded cave entrance.

_::What do you suspect it to be?::_ Came the question from the commanding Earth Elemental, its speech sounding much thicker and harder to understand than the scythe user's fellow Ice Elemental.

_::We suspected it to be a settlement at first; however the presence of the cheetahs and moles contradicts with that theory. As of now we have no further assumptions. We were hoping that you might be able to assist us.::_ The scythe armed Elemental requested of its superiors.

_::This may well be one of our best leads thus far...::_ The larger Ice Elementals mused _::Continue observing this area, I shall return within one sun rise to assist you further.::_

With the order given, the two larger Elementals stalked away from the area.

xXx

After the most grueling combat class they have ever experienced; Spyro and Cynder slowly made their way towards the agreed meeting place with Michael and Ember.

Normally, they would fly to their destination to cut down on their travel time, but they were too exhausted to even unfurl their wings. They eventually found Michael and Ember patiently waiting for them on a lone table with a plate of meat strips between them.

Ember immediately noticed the condition of the two heroes. "Rough class?"

"You have no idea..." Cynder complained as she sat down along with Spyro. "I'm afraid we won't be able to show you around, we can barely walk; let alone fly."

"That's ok." Michael said. "Ember has a better idea anyway."

Spyro perked up a bit knowing that he didn't cause an inconvenience for his two friends. "What idea do you have, Ember?"

"There are no classes the day after tomorrow," Ember informed the two tired dragons "So if we leave tomorrow we can make it an overnight journey!"

Spyro mulled over the idea for a bit. If it was an overnight journey then they could make their stay at the cheetah village for some safety from the Elementals and show them more of the outside world. "Sounds like a good idea to me, what do you think, Cynder?"

"Sure, we'll be staying at the cheetah village right?" Cynder replied without hesitation while taking one of the meat strips.

"Yes," Spyro confirmed "I just hope Terrador doesn't decide to give us more training as harsh as today's was."

"Great! Then it's settled!" Michael nearly shouted. "Let's meet up here after our last classes."

After swallowing the meat, Cynder spoke again. "Ok. Where are the rest? I'm noticing a lack of electricity flying through the air."

Ember considered the question. "I haven't seen Flame anywhere, I think he might be with Darman or went home to rest if the classes really were as bad as you say. I think Amber is visiting-"

"Torturing." Michael corrected.

"Torturing," Ember continued "Darman. But I have no idea where Sion is."

After chomping down another strip of meat, Cynder spoke again. "Not that I don't enjoy the meal and your company, but I'm going to bed early tonight. You should too after eating, Spyro. We have a long day tomorrow."

Spyro nodded, taking a piece of meat in his maw before speaking. "Aligh' Cyndr, Ah'l-"

He stopped himself short when a familiar, blade tipped tail pressed against his throat. "Meat. Swallow. Now."

With a cold sweat erupting from him, he hastily obeyed the dragoness. "I swear you are just doing this to annoy me!" Cynder said loudly before turning to Ember. "Please try to teach him at least the basics of manners..."

Ember giggled and gave Cynder a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am!"

Cynder briefly joined in the giggles before taking her leave.

xXx

Prowlus wasted no time to get to the cove once his escort arrived. He nearly sprinted the entire way, only slowing down once every few minutes to ensure he was not being watched.

Eventually the cave entrance with the three dragon guards came into view, at which point he stopped scanning the area for threats.

Without a word he passed the guards. He noted them to be earth, electricity and fire dragons, each type recommended to be used by the Earth Guardian.

Prowlus strode through the cave, past the moles who were laying hidden traps, past the dragons who were rigging rock slides, past cheetahs who were laying spikes within the ground.

Prowlus ran along the shallow river, passing many more dragons, cheetahs and moles who were working on defensive structures.

Eventually, Prowlus arrived at a small, dry clearing. There he found Tro once more arguing with the local Hermit. "Why won't you just leave? This area will become a war zone very soon and _you_ are in no condition to fight!"

The Hermit took a swing at the much larger cheetah with his staff. "That is why you must leave!" The Hermit insisted, pointing his staff to what used to be his elevated home. Now it was filled with softly humming rocks. "We have no place in this war!"

The Hermit then noticed Prowlus walking towards them, flanked by a cheetah and a snow leopard. "Even your leader will have enough sense to realize that! The Elden Elementals will be awoken soon, we will not survive!"

That was something Prowlus had not heard before, it gave him slight pause. "What are these Elden Elementals, Hermit?"

"They are our doom! We must run while we can, shelter ourselves from the coming end!" The Hermit was becoming more frantic now, he knew something they did not.

"I want a clear answer from you, now," Prowlus demanded "If you cannot give me one, I will have several guards forcibly remove you."

Instantly the expression of the Hermit darkened before he spoke. "Very well. This is but the calm before the storm. If – no – _when_ they obtain that," The Hermit pointed to his elevated cave once more "We will have more to worry about than a new type of enemy."

Before Prowlus could ask him to elaborate, the Hermit raised a paw to stop him. "I will assist in this little last stand of yours. If you insist on dooming us all, I shall go down in combat."

Prowlus allowed himself a smile, even in exile; the cheetahs still had their pride. "Tro, give this man a weapon."

"No." The Hermit spoke.

"You wish to fight bare handed?" Tro asked sarcastically. In response, the Hermit lifted his staff "That is but a toothpick to these monsters."

The Hermit gave a smile which could only be described as a maniacal one. The Hermit spun around, going into a low crouch and using his 'toothpick' to sweep Tro's legs from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. The Hermit used the moment to carry through with an earth rattling slam next to Tro's face. All this happened before Prowlus' escorts could draw their own weapons.

Prowlus raised a paw to stop them. "If you are most efficient with that branch, then use it."

Tro picked himself off of the ground, all the while glaring at the old Hermit. "You knew I wasn't prepared."

To which the Hermit simply replied. "Would you be prepared if an Elemental were to strike from behind?" Before Tro could give his rebuke, the Hermit spoke again "No? Good. Have a nice day."

The Hermit spun around and sprinted towards the wall. He used what agility he had left to leap high into the air. Once he reached the apex of his jump, he grabbed a fine growing from the wall and used it to propel himself to the mouth of his now collapsed cave.

Prowlus shook his head at the agility of the elderly cheetah that would put even him to shame. _'I hope they arrive in time.'_ Prowlus thought to himself as he made his way towards the exit.

xXx

In the dimly lit meeting room of the Dragon Citadel, Terrador sat alone at the large table in the room. Cyril was currently questioning Flake on the matter of the Grublins that attacked her. This was decided after Cyril stated that because she was an ice dragon, she would naturally respect him unlike that hybrid.

Volteer most likely had his muzzle buried within a stack of books he never had the chance to read due to the war.

Terrador was in the process of writing a letter that would greatly influence the outcome of his class' training. When the Earth Guardian finished the letter he read it over once to assure there were no errors to be found.

Terrador tied the message to the leg of the falcon the cheetahs had given him "Take this to Prowlus."

The bird gave a shrill of acknowledgement before flying through one of the open windows.

"Master Terrador?"

The moment Terrador heard the voice he turned his attention towards the open door, seeing a small dragon he recognized as Axen's son, Sion.

"Come in, young one." Terrador said with a gesture of his paw. "What may I assist you with?"

Sion stepped into the room while closing the door behind him using his tail. "I was wondering if you could answer a few questions regarding the Elementals?"

An expression of surprise briefly flashed across Terrador's features, but he caught himself quick enough to hide the majority of it. "Why do you want to know of them, young dragon?"

"Since they attacked Darman and the rest of the group, I felt weak without any knowledge of what they are capable of. I am not much of a fighter, my strength is nothing compared to the rest of my friends and my element is just as weak." Sion explained to the senior earth dragon. "I do not want to be helpless in such a situation again. Please, master Terrador, tell me something, _anything_, that would be useful to know about those things!"

The pleading caught Terrador off guard. Most dragons would simply want to know how to kill their foes, yet this younger dragon was requesting not only to know how to kill them, but also wants to know more about them for a tactical advantage. The answer came to Terrador immediately. "Very well. I shall teach you as much as I can in regards to the elimination of the Elementals. However, I request that you do not share this information as I do not wish panic to spread within Warfang."

Sion visibly brightened when his request was accepted. "Thank you, Master Terrador! When can we begin?"

The large green dragon smiled fondly at the enthusiasm in the young dragon to learn. "I have nothing to do for the rest of the evening, shall we begin now?"

At those words Sion practically vibrated with excitement as he nodded his head in a swift blur and sat down on a chair near the Guardian of Earth.

'_Ah, the energy of the youth...'_

xXx

"Man...for old lizards those three really keep me busy..." Sparx complained loudly to no one in particular.

It had been a long day of delivering messages between the Guardians, construction moles, resource managers, medical dragons and guard posts. "It was worth it at least."

In his two small arms, he carried a jar containing three blue butterflies. "Three of the juiciest butterflies I have seen in a long time...worth it!"

Sparx used his shoulder to wipe the small stream of drool that was coming from his mouth. To Sparx's great delight, he finally arrived at the room he shared with Spyro.

Eager to get to his colorful treats, the glowing dragonfly flew directly to his cushions which he could barely see in the near lightless room. _'Huh...don't remember leaving the room this dark.'_

Shrugging it off as nothing, Sparx set himself and his prize down on the soft area. Using his left hand to unscrew the jar, Sparx kept his right hand near the lid in case any of his morsels attempted to flee.

The moment the jar was open; his right hand darted in to grab one of the butterflies. He retracted his hand with his prize in tow. Sparx swiftly closed the jar before the rest could escape.

Sparx greedily smacked his lips while the butterfly feebly attempted to escape its fate.

Just before butterfly met mouth, Sparx noticed movement around him. "Hello?"

No reply. "Spyro? Is that you?"

Once more silence met him accompanied with the movement of another shadow. By now fear found its way to the glowing dragonfly. "Come on out buddy, this isn't funny anymore!"

A cold shiver ran down Sparx's spine when he felt something breathing on him from behind. Sparx never even realized he released the hold on his own prey.

With great hesitation, Sparx slowly turned his head around. He was met by two rows of razor sharp white fangs that seemed to glow maliciously in the darkness. The two rows of fangs parted slightly, revealing what Sparx knew was his imminent fate.

A low, feral growl emanated from behind those lethal fangs. Sparx sat frozen in fear, he couldn't force himself to move, couldn't force himself to look away, he couldn't even force himself to scream in terror.

The growl ceased and Sparx prepared himself to be devoured. Instead a single, soft word came forth from the maw looming over him. "Boo."

Sparx finally snapped. "GYAAAH!"

Faster than the eye could track, Sparx shot into the air and flew out of the room into the dark skies of Warfang, knocking over and releasing the two remaining captive butterflies in the process.

Unbeknownst to the terrified dragonfly, roars of laughter were being made by a dark scaled dragoness in the room he just fled from.

Cynder couldn't help herself; the look on Sparx's face was priceless! Cynder let go of the shadows she used to darken the room and hide from the unsuspecting dragonfly.

As her laughter continued she never noticed a purple scaled dragon walking into the room until he sat down next to her. "You are _still _a sadist, Cynder."

Cynder's laughs continued for a short while afterwards before she spoke to her purple friend. "It was his own fault, I already got Michael back, Sparx was all that was left."

"You know, you probably just caused severe trauma to him right?"

Cynder gave him as innocent a smile as she could muster. "I don't see your point."

Spyro sighed in frustration. "Just go to bed, Cynder, I don't think Sparx will be too happy to see you here if he ever decides to enter again."

"Awww, you're no fun, Spyro!" Cynder said while nudging him playfully. "But ok, good night!"

"Good night, Cynder." Spyro called after her before facing the balcony. _'Great. Now I have to find him before he screams the entire city awake.'_

xXx

**A/N**

**Poor Sparx! Well Michael did get a Banshee Scream, and Cynder **_**did**_** promise to get them both back.**

**Now don't get mad, but I think the next chapter might also take another 2 or 3 weeks to write *Ducks under a ray of concentrated sun* Dafuq? Zizima! I know that was you! Come out you coward! Stop hiding behind logic-bending weapons and fight!**

**What's that? Yes, I did indeed get a new Cover Image! It does look great doesn't it? Who made it? Why, Default, of course!  
Soooo yeah, a million thanks to Default for making my newest cover image! You're the best Deffy!**

**Once again, a very special thanks to Unit Omicron for beta reading this chapter and correcting my bad English.**

**Now everyone who reads this will do as I say. It is futile to resist...you have already been drawn in...Omicron...amazing story...do not resist-futile...must read...Unit Omicron...The Spyro and Cynder Adventures...**_**MuSsSsT rEaD...**_**Eternal Slumber...you-you want to-you read it...you are drawn to it...read, now...The Spyro and Cynder Adventures: Eternal Slumber...**

**Yes, I was very bored when I came up with that way to get you to read it. But no doubt you have to read it now!...do not re-re-REsist...**

**Another big thanks to Mr Teggsy for detailing where my story can be improved and finding anything that should not be in the story, thanks a lot Teggsy!**

**Lastly, Drake (the fast speaking dragon in Terrador's class) is an OC from Prophet Drake. I plan to milk Drake for every bit of comedy and plot development he's worth! :D**

**On to the reviews!**

**coincidencless: **"So Darman can also manipulate gravity? Hmm, interesting. Wonder if he'd be able to create a mini black hole...  
May I join you for marshmallows?"  
**I would say that is a definite maybe. But keep in mind, Darman fainted from this attack and something like a black hole, even a mini one, is much stronger. Not saying yes, but also not saying no...  
Sure come on over! Still plenty left (Just watch out for Tiny, the thing has been trying to crush me since I kept using Pudge against him! I may or may not also have pissed off Drow, but that's a story for another fanfic :P).**

**Unit Omicron: Well I tried my best to make her that way. She may seem innocent, but don't forget she has power equal to that (give or take) of Cyril (*Potential spoiler for attentive readers* Check back to Spyro's dream ;) )**

**MurasakiKuroAkai: For once someone who agrees that Zizima is a troll!**

**Prophet Drake: I am glad you **_**FINALLY**_** have a non-anonymous account!**

**XxTheSomeonexX: Oh Ancestors yes you can join! Hotdogs to go along with the marshmallows would be the best!**

**Moonlight the Dragon: Awesome roomies are awesome! :D  
And also, thank you, Omicron for referring Moonlight here! (Hope you're reading this).**

**Zizima: U jelly?**

**On a completely unrelated side note: With the release of chapter 13, Elemental Darkness has over 100k words! Woo! I am planning something special to come out, though it most likely won't be for another 2 or 3 months mainly due to my boss who is constantly piling more and more work onto me...**

**As always, please leave a review. Constructive criticism is very welcomed but flames will not be tolerated. Since Darman is not here to extinguish flames, I had to prepare. Installed within the watch on my left wrist is a tiny flame detector. If it finds even the smallest trace of a flamer it will send a signal to a space station many thousand kilometers up. Within seconds, several squads of ODST troopers will drop from the skies, surrounding the flamer with enough cryo-weapons to freeze a portion of the sun! All the while, UAV trackers will make sure the flamer can't run. Should they have some flame-powered, super fast vehicles, I will commit the ultimate task of desperation. That's right flamers, I will call the soldiers from Red vs Blue **_**and**_** I will give Sarge a shotgun! (Shit just got real).**

**...Did I mention my awesome new Cover Image? :)**


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